Old Sorcery "The Lost Grimoire" (2025)

Previously released only under the physical medium of cassette, one can now indulge in what I presume are leftovers of old, given its similarity to the esoteric moods heard on Realms Of Magickal Sorrow. The first of four, To The Infinity Of The Forest conjures memories of A Forest Trapped. Its another slowly brooding enchantment, natural yet steeped in mysticism, led by glacial melody. Groans from a familiar yet mysterious deep bellowing voice eventually cry out to further enrich is curious tone.

 

A shorter piece, Mana Shrine Revisited, focuses efforts on a more abrasive set of instruments. Leading the arrangement, something brassy, woodwind alike that I couldn't nail down. Possibly a murky accordion? As the song progresses, steely yet animated melodies rush in to chime, evoking a classic castly Dungeon Synth motif.

 

Raven's Fortune sparks a little mischief with its opening playful melodies, only for its jollity to give way to a yawning synth string section. We are whisked once again into the ambiguous realms of imagination, laced with ancient, witchcraft suggestions. The playful tone reoccurs on its lengthy closer, The Tranquil. Bell chimes and staccato strings pace themselves as the steady brooding of flutes slowly ushers in strings that build to the tracks fading conclusion with a touch of cinematic scope.

 

These compositions fit in snugly with that classic era but one can see how they perhaps lack a sense of adventure Old Sorcery's album embark on, as pivots and transformations usually serve as the gratifying mystique to tie all this Dungeon Synth inspired imagination together. Either way, The Lost Grimoire is a welcome addition to a fine discography!

 

Rating: 5/10 

Scowl "Are We All Angels" (2025)

Catching my ear with their easy sways between scruffy Grunge chorus riffs and melodic Shoegaze tinged verses, Fantasy served as an intriguing song to pull me in. Sadly, Scowl currently stand as a band with plenty of potential. Are We All Angels' production out paces the bands depth of ideas. Brimming with a fiery aesthetic, their fusion of Pop Punk, Grunge, Hardcore Punk, Alt Rock, even touches of Metal - feels so fitting of this era. The ability to look back a couple of decades and revise such ideas has yielded magic with fresh faced bands like Turnstile.

 

Unlike their contemporaries, Scowl's riffs and motifs lack a spark of imagination. Arrangements and music ideas feel relatively basic, leaning on that stunning aesthetic to get by. Front loaded, the first string of songs will et pumped up but as the record draws on the songs dull into a mediocrity. Singer Kat Moss is the bands brightest light, her voice adds a smooth veneer of color to the crunchy aggression her band mates assemble. Her occasional unhinged shouts froth with an apt angst, anchoring her in this energized setting as she more often plays the counterpart.

 

Their chemistry is strong, the auditory experience is spot on but as stated the songwriting suffers. The record ends up muddling its way through half baked ideas, feeling like either record filler or I'm missing the point. Potential is the word, one to keep an eye on. At this incarnation they are still finding their voice and you hear it on occasion with songs like Special, Fantasy and Not Hell, Not Heaven.

 

 Rating: 5/10

Deafheaven "Lonely People With Power" (2025)

 

 Spinning out another web of shadowy shoe-gazing extremity, Deafheaven return from the captivating Infinite Granite with renewed spite. Lonely People With Power leans dark and grizzly, its songs plunder a devilish spell as the sway of shrill vocal howls and dense guitar haze become a routine focal point for its swells. Brooding through unfurling intensities, melancholic acoustic melodies spill into distortions as tensions mount, often arriving upon the dizzying sorcery of barbarous blast beat mania.

This format is true for much of the record, also housing emotive signals of melody that linger within these aesthetic constraints. After several spins, that textural power loses potency in the absence of transcendent song writing. Lonely People With Power plays as emotion entertainment, running its course swiftly as tracks bleed together. There is one exception! At the midpoint, Amethyst acts as a blade, cutting the record in half.

With an illustrious, enchanting melody, this Blackgaze blueprint breaths life, illuminating as the power of key motif swells with utter grandiosity. The tuneful resurgence from apt acoustic lulls between plays a delight every single time. A remarkable track, elevating its touch of genius through the ebb and flow of the music, a feat every other track on the record fails to emulate with exposure and familiarity.

This splitting of the record feels intentional. The proceeding tracks take a gnarly turn as temperaments plunge further into the black and pale strands of its makeup. Its Extreme Metal makeup gets harder and sections of ambience and acoustic sound dialed into deep rotting pains. Despite this apparent gravitas, I found myself losing connection to songs as they blended together in a haze. Ideas lack distinction over its one hour duration, creating a radical drone devoid of purpose to latch onto.

Rating: 5/10

Oscillotron "Cenotaph" (2025)

 

 With lowly expectation, I tentatively picked up this fresh three track from a once adorned Oscillotron. Still rocked by the horrors of an eight year weight, the cursed fuzz of unsavory one hour noise-piece Oblivion still echos in my ears. Cenotaph is another distillation of sound, honing in on tension, dread and menace through the aesthetic powers of masterfully crafted shadowy synth. Some of its tones echo the great astral charms of its predecessors but stripped of melody and percussive groove to shape its form, these synths linger and brood in passing paranoid episodes.

Dystopian in nature, dark nightly settings take hold as its textures conjure a sense of observed dangers in brutalist architectural landscapes. One can imagine futuristic visions of societies obscured by technological integrations run amuck. Lifeless arpeggios spin a sense of cold menace, a watchful automated eye, inhuman authority.

The title track plays a game of starting soft, subtle uplifting choral voices transform in to tense apparitions. Menta revels in its distorted rumbling, a sense of severance pervades as loneliness triumphs. Filter rocks Tangerine Dream inspired sequences, adding a touch of mystique and intrigue to the dreariness. Three classy executions, brief but vivid and engrossing. Could easily elevate visuals as music in cinema.

Rating: 5/10

Trevor Something "The Shadow" (2025)

 

My introduction to Trevor Something was through his distinct covers of classic songs ranging from 80s Synthpop ear-bugs to 90s Alternative crooners and Industrial anthems. A treacherous terrain to navigate, traversed in complimentary nature to give those oldies a differed flavor. Comprised of original songs, The Shadow has to compete with those high standards. Taking such dreamy aesthetics to his own material, the chasm is felt raw across thirty tracks that fail to illuminate through melody, hook or lyricism. This record falls into the "vibes" category, establishing mood, then ruminating on it endlessly, without any spectacular musical ideas or deviation from the path.

Tracks play slow and sullen like sluggish fever dreams of self indulgent misery. Twisted to melodic might, reverb soaked synths delve into a cold Ethereal melancholy. Soft and soothing by design, these dreary yet absorbing synthetic soundscapes elongate melodies to the tune of sadness. Trevor's ghostly voice echos out above, downtrodden, drowning in the wounds of a self centered lifestyle's emotional loneliness. Heard best in his words, its catchier words echo a crude Manson.

 

The Shadow's architecture lacks diversity, its moods circle the drain. The title track catches an ear with some intriguing repeat cuts, caught between a record skip and digitized glitch, they create a momentary disoriented charm for attentive ears. Occasional vocal warbling encroaches into Mumble Rap vibes. Infrequent but a curious if only brief distinction. Spaced out percussion patterns occasionally go full Synthwave with gated tom drum fills. Once again a brief glimmer of deviation from the overall tone.

 

One can find a few favorite cuts that resonate well within this context. Numb The Pain and Die 1000x stood out for me. They seem a cut above the rest on a record devoid of hooks and memorable moments. Each song tends to melt into the next as feverish aesthetics overpower other fundamentals. A fair and entertaining listen for self indulgence that probably doesn't have the legs to stick in ones mind for too long.

 

Rating: 5/10

Krusseldorf "Cloud Songs" (2020)

 

Still charmed by Krusseldorf's curious demeanor, we venture further down the rabbit hole. Cloud Songs' titling nods to its lofty ambiguous nature. Quirky compositions, delving into a haze of softness, lazy, relaxed and inviting. These cozy tracks meander through inconsequential landscapes of melting melody and circling rhythms that evoke Pysbient suggestions when percussion hones in on Downtempo templates.

Despite getting off to a strong start, establishing soothing vibes and cruising through chilled melodies, the tides turn in its second act. Dub For Slouchers hits a high as the records best track, cohering the classic Dub baseline to its whimsical follies, ushering in dazzling arpeggios near its conclusion. After this, the mood shifts, dramatic, subtly sorrowful, with a sense of abandon, proceeded by chemistries brewing unease.

Between them, Dance Of The Sleeper revels in that winning Dub formulae again but otherwise the record fizzles out as emotional narratives fail to resonate within the soft obscurities electronic music can offer. This is oddly punctuated by the arrival of dreamy, Ethereal effeminate singing, which had previously done the music wonders. This outing they played into the diminishing flow. Cloud Songs had immense promise but simply drifts out of focus after a strong start.

Rating: 5/10

Clipping "Dead Channel Sky" (2025)

  

 Leaning hard into their distinct jilted abrasion, experimental Hip Hip trio Clipping return armed with an arsenal of rapid fire razor sharp rhymes, accompanied by cyberpunk dystopian disjointed beats. Its a despairing, paranoid journey, showcasing the unrivaled talents of Daveed Diggs, who blasts vivid lyricism through an effortless cold, monotonous delivery. Poetic and descriptive, he arms this unsettling soundscape of buzzing computer electronics with moments of clarity, cutting through the rumpus and adding a dispirited human element to the already dejected temperament.

 Lyrical themes resonate with defeatism, reflecting current social-political concerns. Early on, dexterous rhymes charm through ambiguous, artistic, storytelling motifs. In its second half, clearer concepts are depicted with plainer language. The emergence of AI, growing wealth inequality, the harms of social media, disinformation and internet related corrosive forces. Its in the latter half that these clearer expressions, the conceptual nature of Dead Channel Sky, takes form for this lukewarm listener.

Mediocrity stems from its dredging, drawn out nature, tediously slow burning through cyber-industrial soundscapes. Short interludes and key songs play drowned in an endless string of aesthetic ideas which only reward when converging upon groove and rhythm. This mostly happens at the heels of 90s House rhythmic energy and signature waveform leads from the era's blossoming electronic scene. In these moments, much is borrowed from the past. The dystopian aesthetic a thin veneer atop what works.

Entertained by a couple of spins, the search for depth has alluded me in becoming numb to its admittedly impressive arrangements of dial-up inspired internet glitch-synth. So to did Diggs' rhymes flourish food for thought initially. That persuasion has swiftly evaporating in this artistic vision mostly devoid of the simple pleasures required to bridge the avant-garde. Dead Channel Sky lacks the curation to drive home its vision, instead flooding us with an indulgent revel, not quite to this fans taste.

Rating: 5/10

Krusseldorf "Fractal World" (2014)

Winding back a decade from a recent curiosity Mushroom World, this record plays out in its imaginative shadow. Resting on mellow laurels, these harmless ambient soundscapes exchange sleepy, murmuring lethargic melodies against busied yet often aimless glitchy drum grooves. This percussive aesthetic finds itself in vogue with similar trends of the time. The ten tracks that make up Fractal World, mostly shuffle through subdued instrumental chemistries, painting soft welcoming atmospheres.

 

Devoid of human emotions, songs jostling soothing oddities and ambiguous expressions through its synthetic instruments. The result is soothing, indulgent yet misses a power to make deeper impressions. Lacking definition, music passes by in a pleasant, disconnecting haze, pierced only by the occasional human voice. South Of The Sky Temple is a shining example. An effeminate, Ethereal voicing drops in to contextualize the curious atmosphere with humanity. A magic that could have been.

 

What will proceed finds depth in yielding these strange instrumental textures to a higher purpose but in their infancy, Krusseldorf has only aesthetic charm, missing on purpose beyond the slightly psychedelic mellow hallucinations this chilled out record provides. A fair listen, sorely lacking a magnetism to pull one back for more.

 

Rating: 5/10

 

Willow "Willow" (2019)

 

This self titled affair is brief, yet concise. At twenty two minutes, it stretches the definition of an album but arrives conceptually complete. A raw expression of her emotions, Willow's voice flourishes within humble settings. Driven by mellow steely acoustic guitar chords, strummed over warm sluggish baselines and stiff percussion, a motif of simplicity emerges. Reveling in its chemistry, these songs linger on aesthetic pleasures driven by Willow's arrival into these direct, uncluttered compositions.

The mood is dreamy, a touch Ethereal, swaying from dreary spells of soft melancholy to subdued drives of Psychedelic Rock and Folk. Enchanting touches of R&B and Soul echo through the vocal setting. Overall, a soothing, chill experience with just a couple swells of grabbing intensity. Willow amps up her voice on the livelier closing Overthinking It and the Shoegaze conclusion to PrettyGirlz both perk the ears.

Like A Bird and Samo Is Now caught my attention for the plucked acoustic licks reminiscent of the charming acoustic breaks I've adored in some Metal artists. That tone immediately wins me over. As a whole, this self titled stint packs a punch but perhaps lacks some follow through or surprises along the way. Its decent but that's all.

Rating: 5/10

Amebix "No Sanctuary" (1983)

 

Having recently entered some conversations on the origins of proto-Black Metal, this British Crust Punk outfit share some peculiar similarities at times with Bathory and to a lesser extent Venom. Given the confrontational nature of this music and expanding exploration of extremity, this seems a case of retroactive co-incidence, given a lack of mention from any originators of second wave Black Metal.

My ears immediately turn to fellow Post-Punk era Killing Joke. With a menacing fuzz of dissonance powered by a repetitive rhythm section, crashing walls of scratchy lead guitar noise wails alongside angered shouts of rage. Its gritty production rolls the instruments into an atonal mess of texture, spewing forth an unsettled mood. Lacking ferocity, these grizzly soundscapes make one feel like an observer, detached from gruesome atrocities the topicality likely depicts, given its harrowing cover art.

Mid-tempo marches revel in grinding repetition. Baselines articulate iterations, dodge a sense of melody whilst adding expression. The music routinely drags itself along with its charm seemingly buried in these strange chromatic rumblings. Barbaric strikes of percussion interrupt without groove, crafting a sense of anti-music inspirations.

Control seems to be the one song connected to Bathory. Its heathen like vocal choir tilts the atmosphere to something satanic and mysterious. The suggestion shapes its shredding guitar riff to a similar tilt. In juxtaposition, at the other end of the record, Sunshine Ward goes in an entirely different direction, sounding like The Cure or possibly a parody of. Interesting listen, curious atmosphere but not a lot to latch onto.

Rating: 5/10

Hades "...Again Shall Be" (1994)

 

Exploring the other works of Burzum's producer Pytten, I happened across ...Again Shall Be. I'd probably checked them out decades ago but with a refined ear for Viking Metal, it caught my attention as an early hybrid of the later and Black Metal. Fellow Norwegians Hades embody an early Immortal sound, who Pytten also worked with. Gristly narrow guitar distortions drone, intertwined with throat wrenching screams. They meld together in med tempo grooves with powerful thunderous drums and meaty yet tuneful basslines. Song shift between sways of metallic and raw atmosphere. Along its journey melodies conjure echo's of ancestral roots, yielding the sinister format to their heathen vision. So to do acoustic guitars and burly clean voices wage in on swaying the darkness to evoke folksy cries of a harsh rural godless communion.

As the record settles in, repetition becomes a sticking point. After a few tracks, its darkly agitated temperament begins to drone. Songs proceed at a steady pace, rarely breaking form. When a simple synth note arrives at The Ecstasy Of An Astral Journey's conclusion, its elevates the song greatly. This is attributed to a need for change, more so than compositional merits. After all, its a single note. A couple other songs have brief acoustic breaks that perk the ear. Otherwise the record feels like an endless repetition of its main theme heavily inspired by the likes of Bathory's Black and Viking eras. Its left me bereft of remarks beyond enjoying this vision which swiftly tires beyond enduring ten minutes of its diminished ideas.

Rating: 5/10

The Brand New Heavies "Heavy Rhyme Experience Vol 1" (1992)

 

 

British act The Brand New Heavies try their hand at collaboration with rap heavy hitters of the era. Adding story driven rhymes to the mix, the Acid Jazz outfit come full circle on their Hip Hop persuasions that mostly shape up percussive loops with repetitious groove. The fit seems perfect, given the shared influences of Soul, Funk, R&B and Disco on both the bands style and young rappers parental music.

Working with a pre-Wu-Tang Clan Master Ace, Kool G Rap, Main Source, Guru of Gangstarr and legendary The Pharcyde, the band scoop up some top talent among other guests, each track receiving a guest act to layer in the vocal element. The band shape their slick Acid Jazz grooves into fruity, flavorful loops - lively, tailored with apt color and melody. Despite its organic nature, the performance stiffens, stripping out the opportunity for tangents, iterations or progressive leaning song structures.

 

Once a beat makes itself known, it sticks firmly, resting a lot of the music on its rappers who meld with the tone to various degrees of success. With such smiley, friendly instrumentals, its curious to hear Kool G Rap excellence on Death Threat. A strutting baseline and shimmering guitar leads add a soft gangster attitude to its tone. Kool takes it the rest of the way with fierce rhymes and aggressive energetic delivery.

Heavy Rhyme Experience Vol 1 is a competent listen, capturing the rap scene at the end of its Golden Era / Jazz Hop sound, right before big shifts in tone over the next couple of years. With quite a few weak performances and a lack of identifiable hooks, its served as a fun listen to plunder a couple of fun tracks from. Sadly wont have me returning for more, despite the disappointment, its a shame more crossovers like this haven't taken place in this era of Hip Hop. There was such potential here.

Rating: 5/10

Burzum "Demo I" (1991)

With the coldest wintery months of the year upon us, the isolating weather apt for a nostalgic journey into the heart of Black Metal's most notorious musician, Varg Vikerness. A musical genius, yet Nazi with abhorrent views convicted of arson and murder of fellow Mayhem band mate Euronymous. In the naivety of youth, these tales of church burning seemed like mythical acts of anti christian rebellion, however I was deep into the music before being deterred by the realities of its author. This is the first cassette Varg handed to his would be victim, wanting a way in on the niche elitist scene. Its cover, which includes one of his crimes, is from a pressing on Helvete Records released some time later. The original sleeve is said to be long lost for now.

These three dusky tracks, muddied by low fidelity, play like a stream of rumblings, resembling simple linear melodies and basic rhythm through its eerie, groaning distortion fuzz. In patches, one can barely hear the rough drums but the snare and kick manage to jolt this wall of sound, maintaining its pace. Remastered recordings do a great job of bringing out the double base kicks and cymbals. I'm captivated by a curiosity as to how knowing these songs taints the experience. Would fresh ears hear the brilliance in these wistful tunes that toy with metallic might and nightly dissonance?

 

The fidelity downplays it magic yet emphasizes the strange mood Varg has conjured from his Pagan and D&D influences. Lost Wisdom and Spell Of Destruction both jostle with hard grooves and eerie, esoteric melodies in such a mesmerizing way. Personality is vivid, the vision punctuated by a third synth track, which we now retroactively call Dungeon Synth. With this song you can really hear the lonely adventures into shadowy realms filled by mythical creatures. Audio quality aside, its clear that Varg started writing music with a firm footing in a majestic direction.

Rating: 5/10

Cordae "The Crossroads" (2024)

  

Round three, Cordae returns with another fresh bout of life's stories, past and present. The title alone conjure thoughts of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's classic, which the intro tastefully interpolates. Cycling between Trap percussive pallets and nuanced drums grooves, instrumentals play soulful and moody, drifting into R&B territory as guest singers illuminate a handful of tracks with Gospel singing. Samples focus on texture and tone over melody, casting an introspective atmosphere not far from melancholic.

Without a peak or valley, The Crossroads runs through the motions, offering a couple darker bangers early on, then leaning hard into its soulful inflections as the record matures. With Cordae's sturdy cadence holding true, he articulates personal tales, keeping one in the firm grasp of his effortless rhymes. Themes recycle, struggles of balancing success and family shift to the later, as he speaks on becoming a father.

His tales echo familiar feelings of the last two outings, leaving me with little fresh to say. Its instrumental shift to nostalgic soulful samples and plenty of human voices plays good company but lacking melodies and hooks, its staying power has been absent. The Crossroads is a mild, easy going record, doing little wrong yet failing to land a striking blow to grab your attention. Disappointing but only from high standards.

Rating: 5/10

Fief "VI" (2024)

 

I've raved about prior installation's of Fief's exquisite Medieval Fantasy compositions. Often a niche relegated to background music in RPG games, this artist elevates the sound of antiquated royalty with class. Armed with Lutes, Harps, Bells, Strings and Woodwind instruments, a whirl of jovial melodies rapture the halls and courtyards of monastic reign. Earlier chapters ventured towards natures charm, with softer tones cultivating meditative atmosphere. Over time, a sovereign personality has emerged.

VI arrives unchanged, locked in by dancing merry melodies and an eloquence befitting these nostalgic times' royal grandeur. Sadly, it leaves me with little more to remark on, a fine set of eight arrangements conjuring a soothing mood of simplistic pleasures, dance, chatter, fruits and wines in the presence of kings. With little new to offer, it swiftly becomes a familiar shade of music operating in the backdrop.

Rating: 5/10

Dance With The Dead "Dark Matter" (2024)

 

Synthwave aces Dance With The Dead return again with a tight six track EP. Dark Matter strikes firm and fast, dialing in a two pronged approach to sell its concept. Subduing their ever powerful synths, mid-tempo Industrial Metal guitars step into the limelight. Rocking easy grooves on cushioned distortions, a Familiar breed of Metal manifests, akin to the likes of Gothminister and European contemporaries.

The other angle is collaborative, working with a unique band, like Gunship, or singer on each track. The result? A conforming twist of the arm that has their songs yielding to simple song writing oriented around the verse chorus structure. Vocally, Kat Von D resonates sublimely with a solid helping of reverb on her dreamy chorus hook.

Dark Matter starts strong with Cold As Hell and Neon Cross rocking hard grooves around a whirl of nightly neon synth melodies. The instrumentals then tame, toning down, before finding an ironic peak at the records conclusion, its one vocal-less song hitting the hardest. Rust pounds its rhythm guitar chugs and dense synths in unison.

Cole Rolland then lavishes us in one blazing guitar solo after another, a sweet matching of styles, complimenting well and making for a memorable conclusion as he shreds through so many inspired techniques. A roaring end to a brief record that falls shy of a big impact yet is commendable for its stride to be different through the interesting collaborations offered.

Rating: 5/10

Motionless In White "Graveyard Shift" (2017)

 

 

Working back through Motionless In White's discography, I've anticipated hearing amateurish songwriting born of their Metalcore roots but this ain't it. Still reveling in a distinct amalgamation of popular Metal from the 90s and 00s, their musical witchery is effortless to enjoy. At this stage, its beefy Nu Metal guitar riffs that dominate overt influences with the legend Jonathan Davis lending a mild feature on Necessary Evil.

With Trance synths and crunching percussion, flavors of Gothic melody and Industrial rhythm weave into the mix around Chris Cerulli's hooks and downtrodden anthemic lyrics. Sadly, their chemistry isn't as potent. Simple breakdowns, gang shouts and throaty screams break apart these spells with flashes of the aforementioned Metalcore roots. Otherwise all the components are in place, a band steadily maturing.

I'm left reasonably entertained but lacking any enthrallment. Soft serves as a fair highlight, obvious Slipknot influences spin a first pumping riff, jolted into action from the start. "You're mine motherfucker" screamed as if from the mouth of Corey Taylor. Its creepy Korn melody counterpart balances out the energy well. Many of its best ideas feel uncannily close to that era. 570, however, plays like a straight melodic Metalcore banger, something leftover from prior writing sessions? Overall, a fair listen.

Rating: 5/10

Conquer Divide "Slow Burn" (2023)

 

Churning the Pop Metal formula through a dense wall of sound, American rockers Conquer Divide caught my ear with their empowered effeminate vocals sailing over meaty melodic Metal that's far from original, trendy for the times yet endearing. Overt influences present themselves through the likes of Spiritbox akin breakdowns and Bring Me The Horizon's in vogue glitchy electronics. Arriving at obvious intervals, between these blushes emerges a kind beast exercising personal demons. The usual themes of mental struggle and emotional short comings get channeled into cathartic screams and firm singing that spins a tune better than most of their contemporaries.

Slow Burn is far from perfect. A strong succession of bangers dissipates into a mediocre indulgence where cracks start to emerge. Wincing lyrics and underwhelming riffs crop up between an otherwise enjoyable atmosphere. Driven by soft distortion guitars woven with synth, dense floods of brooding, powerful sound wash by. There best moments play purely aesthetic, Castillo's vocal tune often defining its impact. Its a far cry from a captivating opening stint. Songwriting falls of a cliff, much of the preceding music rests on the albums excellent production. Instruments shy from the limelight, leaving the charm to linger on lyrical themes that are hit and miss.

There is clearly a lot of potential here. The opening songs offer much more musically. Although the backing instrumentation on verses mostly paints a blank slate for Castillo, they swell together with big upheavals in the catchy choruses and breaks. This is where Conquer Divide excel every time. A dynamic momentum emerges, propelling the themes of internal battle and personal woe into something antidotal and soothing. Its a very familiar formula yet well executed in their better stride.

Rating: 5/10

Andrew Odd "Visions Of Red" (2017)

Wishing to "scratch the itch" from an artist who's discography is unfortunately light, I've rummaged around the mostly one track singles for Visions Of Red, comprised of three soothing space themed songs. Arcadia is a beautiful "pale blue dot" inspired piece. Leaning into the cosmic perspective, yearning string scale the epic expanse of space in a trance like state. A deep yet soft rumble of bass murmurs below, between them heavenly choral voices subtly emerge to peak the musics blissful tone.

Elysium turns a little esoteric, its fleeting voices steeped in mystery as layers of airy choral synths gradually climb an underlying tension. Piano notes smothered in a dreary reverb eventually arrive to resolve this ambiguous enigma. Tharsis leans Psybient. Embracing upfront melody, pronounced synths exchange, brooding towards a sense of eruption. I always anticipate a harder pivot but when the percussion arrives, its toned down, a distant snare kick groove, with narrow aesthetics.

 

 Visions Of Red delivers on this artists ability to cut past the mediocrity this astral music can often slip into, creating three intriguing songs to fire up the imagination. Fingers crossed for more Andrew Odd in the future, their craft is one with distinction.

Rating: 5/10

Zeal And Ardor "Grief" (2024)

 

Now a seasoned act, Zeal And Ardor's third full length has soured in lack of reverence. I'd previously been enamored with their dreary, foreboding yet somehow colored fusion of Black Metal, Chain Gang chants and Electronics. This re-imagining of the genres anti religion inspirations birthed excitement. Unique atmospheres and musical oddities emerged from this exploration, both in concept and execution. Powerful themes and striking compositions, twisting both aesthetics and melodic expectations, yet somehow packaged for consumption. This promising act delivered some amazing experiences in years but on this outing, those ideas run short.

Grief retreads familiar themes, lacking cunning for the shock and awe that surprised beforehand. Leaning on dreary atmospheres, the album routinely tries to foray into theatrical lullabies, toned down interludes with subtle instrumentation, striding for something grandiose, emotional and impacting. The vision gets broken up by the bands various shades, leaning into particulars rather than fusing them together.

Mediocrity and tone rotation seems to dispel each songs magic. Plenty of interesting aesthetics and compositions individually emerge but rarely do they converge. Clawing Out is one excellent track that does this. Dissonant guitar noise and creepy whispered chats lure us into the eerie as hastening guitar riffs jostle for impact. Increasing tensions loop over, building on prior ideas before striking us with gratifying siren synths and a thudding distorted bass drum. Its a rhythmic oddity that just works.

Une Ville Vide was another unique cut, a cozy yet mysterious keyboard piece more akin to a Dungeon Synth record. Other than those two songs, not much resonated with me. I do however appreciate the craft. This experience strikes me as being more about my own personal mood than the record itself. I expected a lot more but left sadly quite disappointed. I'm interested to look up the broader reception this received.

Rating: 5/10