Siegelord - Ascent Of The Fallen (2016)

Ohio's Siegelord, mostly made up of former members of Winterhymn, play a version of melodic death metal with a heavy dose of synths. It's Viking inspired, maybe a little like Amon Amarth though closer to their early era material. I also think it has a little more depth to it than some of Amon Amarth's recent material has had. These guys just don't jump to a chorus and reiterate it twenty times through, they actually give the music a chance to breathe and offer song structure, rather than pure filler. Let's face it, Johan Hegg can write lyrics about baking a cake, as long as he can cap it with a catchy chorus. Well, you don't find that with Siegelord. Sometimes these guys won't even utilize a chorus if they don't need to. Again, we get atmospheres and great vocal performances partnered with potent and memorable melodies. When I listen to Ascent Of The Fallen, I find that I enjoy certain sections of each piece rather than just a chorus number. I try to utilize the same thing in my own band and show that yes, you don't need a good chorus to sell a song.

One complaint that I have with Siegelord though, is that some of the keyboard sections are just a little too low in the mix. I can see that they're trying, but the guitars and vocals really drown those almost completely out. There also aren't a lot of solo sections here, sans maybe a couple of tracks. But that's a pretty minor complaint, especially when the band is opting for more structure and less choral filler. They also seem to prioritize spoken word sections quite a bit, which will either enhance or kill the performance, depending on the listener. Additionally, Ascent Of The Fallen also contains a few instrumental synth pieces, which add a bit more depth to the recording. Considering that this is the band's first release after only being together for three years, I'm quite impressed with the amount of skill and the level of musicianship put on display here. It's surprisingly well-crafted and caught my ear within the first listen. To say that there's promise here is a mere understatement. I have a feeling that only the best is yet to come from these guys, as they only get better with more time and exploration. Could we really be looking at the next Amon Amarth, Graveworm or Wintersun? Perhaps. But I'll leave that for you to decide.

(12 Tracks, 62:00)

8.5/10

Rotting Christ - Rituals (2016)

Well, looks like Rotting Christ are back at it again with one of their more controversial efforts yet. It's definitely not for everyone, but their fans seem to love it. I actually checked the comments for the band's Facebook post announcing the new album and found that sixty people were at least very thrilled and enjoyed the record. Yet in black metal groups, there were more than a few that seemed very disappointed, calling the record “the worst they've ever done” while others remarked that they wouldn't listen to the band past the first two albums (in trve black metal elitist style, of course) anyway and had no interest to begin with. So as you can see, opinions for this record have been heavily skewed. But why such a huge deviation of opinion? That's quite simple. Rotting Christ this time, decided to make a record that sounds, well... a little bit like a ritual. Not even a little bit. The entire album sounds like one huge ritual to achieve something by which I hope was a definite success. Could the album have been a sort of hypersigil of sorts? Well, yeah – probably. But I wouldn't think to call it something of a hypersigil unless you're dealing with new school occult terms. In the old school of magickal thought, I guess I could consider this all some sort of large incantation. Like an extremely large and intricate spell, which when listened to many times over by many people, allows such a form of thought-matter to gain energy. But what are these guys using it for? That, I cannot really be sure of. Obviously the lyrical content is heavily inspired by that of Satan, Lucifer, Old Scratch – you know the deal. It almost sounds like they've taken a trip back to 1993 with that line of material, which I thought they had graduated from when they began talking about ancient alien gods with 2007's Theogonia. That to me was a bit more interesting than the tired old egregore that I feel is used far too much in this genre of music.

We begin with “In Nomine Dei Nostri” which begins with chants, lightens up with drums and and becomes something of an epic scale. The chants you hear are something of a chorus, which to some might sound like the beginning of a song that never took off. But to me, it sounds quite complete and ends out with what I thought were some of the only memorable leads during the first listen. The track also features George Zacharopoulos (Necromantia, Principality Of Hell, ex-Thou Art Lord) on guest vocals. “Ze Nigmar” comes next with a much slower atmosphere, and it certainly works well with the ritual nature of the piece. It almost has a thick doom feeling, which is accented by the chants. Next came the single “Elthe Kyrie” which included the female vocal rantings that I couldn't get into at all on my first listen. I actually felt that is was the absolute worst thing I've ever heard from Rotting Christ and on this second listen, I still can't get above her quick vocal rantings. It's performed in the native Greek too, which is quite literally all Greek to me. There's a chorus line here as well, but the female vocal rantings just make this one very hard for me to approach. It's an experiment, sure. But it's just not the kind that I feel gels all that well. “Les Litanies De Satan” (Hmm, I wonder who that could be about?) actually manages to bite a little along with guest vocals from Samael's Vorph, while “Apage Satana” is more or less a traditional tribal ritual with strong mantric chants. A guitar comes in later, but the track does sort of seem more like an intro piece than anything else. I didn't even notice it the first time.

“Tou Thanatou” punches things up a little bit, adding bagpipes along with quickening drums and more chants. There's also a guitar solo here, which is the first one I've really heard on the disc. I'll also mention that the leads here are especially strong as Sakis shows that he's still got the chops, regardless of the obvious musical change. Now “For A Voice Like Thunder” surprisingly features Nick Holmes of UK Legends, Paradise Lost. It's also one of the strongest tracks on this whole fucking record in my opinion, and has an almost doom tone that reminds so much of the Rotting Christ of the nineties, back when they were making records like A Dead Poem. Holmes vocal performance here is masterful, whether he's doing the narration or filling in with a harsher vocal style, making for one of the best songs I've ever heard from the band, hands down. This alone shows that they haven't forgotten those old doom days and it was also one of the pieces in particular that stood out to me the most on the first listen. But after that, it just went kind of back to the background, unfortunately. “Konx Om Pax” starts out convincingly enough with earth-shattering doom riffs, but then it quickly goes back to Themis's pounding and a very familiar style of riff melody that I've been hearing for I'd say a good thirty minutes now. “Devadevam” features Rudra bassist Kathir on vocals, where he performs a much different approach than we might expect for what seems a very deep moment in the ritual. His chants work perfectly here, bringing something of an otherworldly and deeply spiritual sense to the record. It's pretty awesome, to be honest. The disc ends with “The Four Horsemen” which has a buildup of highs and lows, ultimately culminating in the choral moment. This piece becomes so majestic that it ends the record on a very strong note, leaving no real need for mention of the Aphrodite's Child cover that I have here as a bonus track. That particular piece, here entitled “Lok'tar Ogar” seems alright enough, with it's strongest point being in the horrifyingly demonic vocal approach. Sakis sounds unbelievably inhuman here, but the backing section is just one constant riff repetition, so it's ultimately a bit stale in that regard. You don't really need it to complete the experience I feel, but major fans will want to own it just because.

At the end of the day, while I don't think Rituals to be their most memorable experience, it's definitely not a terrible album as a whole. There are some strong moments here and some notable guests. I've obviously named what I feel is the strongest track on the record and hopefully they'll shift the gears a little more in that direction with the follow-up. I don't feel that it's as strong as the last one (and neither does Metal Archives) but it's worth a listen nonetheless. I just don't think you'll be playing it as much as some of their older albums.

(11 Tracks, 53:00)

7/10

Pil & Bue - Forget The Past, Let's Worry About The Future (2016)

This Norwegian duo (Bow & Arrow in English, just in case you were wondering) have been making a real mark in their native country, earning some high spots on the charts as well as loads of radio play. Their single “You Win Again” was also used in a cult film by the name of Dead Snow 2 (I haven't seen the first yet, but it's a Norwegian zombie-flick) so as you can see, they've really got something to offer. After having listened to this record, I'll have to agree. It was in my “Promise Pool” folder for a while before I was commissioned for it, so it's now been bumped up for a review now – and that's a good thing. Because now I remember just how great it is.

The press release says that these guys take from acts like Placebo, Deftones, current Anathema and The Mars Volta (even though I've always hated the vocalist from that act, I love the vocals here) and I can definitely tell. You also might be able to compare them slightly to acts like Tool/A Perfect Circle and Karnivool, as well as Chevelle in some instances. But what we're looking at is a mix of progressive and hard rock music, which has to be no doubt shortened for radio play, especially when the only song on the record that would fit the standard length of "3:30" is “Nevermind” coming in at a little over three minutes, even though you could probably squeeze the chorus heavy opener “No Is The Answer” or “Shakkakakka” down to fit the radio limit as well. These guys really want their songs to breathe, and they do – because you're utterly hit with mounds of atmosphere which in itself seems to contain just a little hint of post-metal. But there's no core, djent or anything really gimmicky to be found here. The record comes off as really memorable progressive hard rock. Now, I'm sure that a few people won't be able to stomach Petter Carlson's vocal approach as it's very glassy and fragile enough to shatter, but those same people probably couldn't get into Chino Moreno's clean tones in Deftones (no pun intended) for the same reason. It's actually a pretty short disc, all things considered – but it's the kind of disc where I think every song stands out in some way or another.

Forget The Past... can sometimes seem like a complete atmosphere, and it's essentially very chilly with slightly warm moments offered within the heat of the guitars. They believe in spontaneity, which I can kind of hear in this record, but there's also a definite choral formula to some of these tracks that make them complete earworms. I think “Afterlife” sees the duo at their most dynamic, as this artistic soundscape finally reaches it's denouement in the form of a post-rocker that really shows their power. They literally ended the disc with a track that doesn't just come right out and deliver the goods, you have to work for it a little bit and the end result is brilliant. If you're looking for an atmospheric hard rock act that you're going to remember a little bit more than some of the other stuff on the radio, then you can't go wrong here.

(6 Tracks, 30:00)

9/10

Convulse - Cycle Of Revenge (2016)

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

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

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

(8 Tracks, 34:00)

8.5/10

Omnihility - Dominion Of Misery (2016)

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

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

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

(10 Tracks, 41:00)

7/10

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

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

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

(11 Tracks, 49:00)

8/10

Mastery - Valis (2015)

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

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

(5 Tracks, 40:00)

7/10