Type O Negative "Slow, Deep and Hard" (1991)

 

Despite having a legendary status in their own right, this cult American band had eluded me until recently. I'd seen plenty of Type O Negative shirts at Metal shows over the years. I may have even passed up the opportunity to see them live a couple times before the vampyric Peter Steele's death in 2010. Having now familiarized and come to adorn some of their best material, it seemed certain a new journey was in wait.

 Starting with their debut, Slow, Deep and Hard breaks out with an unmistakable identity hinged around a willingness to meld new and distant musical ideas. Birthed through Gothic Horror and a crude sadistic humor, cheesy synth tones, gritty Industrial percussion and embrace of guitar dissonance somehow emerges authentic with underlying pains. A crude mix of Hardcore, Doom Metal and all things Gothic, Type O Negative straddle the estranged Avant-Guarde soundscape with oddities, yet land their lengthy songs with chant-along choruses, memorable melodies and rocking riffs.

Its a chemistry of their own making with cheerier punches fit for the 90s spirit. This light rarely departs a depraved side, gloomy and blood soaked as many of these songs lunge into slow and sluggish rhythm sections resting on dissonance and audio horror. Its quite the ride for an adventurous listener. Burly poetic recitals, gang shouts, pained screams and heavenly choral singing, variety is no stranger. Song structures straddle similar constructs as twisted avenues tend to return to the gratifying ideas.

This introduction is a powerful entry point, yet wanes with multiple listens as many of the first two tracks key ideas seem uncannily recycled over the remaining records span. Type O Negative display a unique character fit to bloom into a beast. With thoughtful appreciation, one can hear the previous decades influences. The likes of Swans, Bauhaus and Christian Death among others clearly shape an ever evolving Gothic mood. Industrial and Metal influences present too, this union of genres feels so odd and genuine too, the kind of chemistry that gets me excited. I can feel it already, this journey will be one of the greats!

Rating: 7/10

Arcanist "Hyperborea" (2022)

 

 Through forages of retro psychedelia synth know as Berlin School, and an artistic encroachment upon the forgotten dusty crypts of Dungeon Synth, Arcanist firmly caught my attention with their stunning debut Poseidonis. My knee jerk reaction to Hyperborea waned after a sour taste induced by spurious inclusions of esoteric Black Metal and sludgy abominably Doom Metal. As successive repetitions settled spirits across its four epic songs, I grew to love how musically ambitious this record is.

Unwilling to rest on laurels, Hyperborea brews its story telling with cinematic stride to journey vast and various musical landscapes. Unruly lulls of Dark Ambience hold over its forays into Medieval and Heathen acoustic folk. The aforementioned metallic spurts scale the summit as its valleys are navigated by captivating synth solos in the spirit of Progressive Rock. Best of all, The Coming Of The White Worm's plunge into the cosmic has another delightful reminiscence of my treasured Oscillotron.

A flow of engulfing atmospheric magic gushes forth, with sudden splashes of color, wild twists and dramatic soars along the way. Despite having different temperaments and aesthetics, the music is guided wondrously as these distinct musical spaces get woven together in a single narrative. It has the pay off only an album experience can offer as one traverses its eerie, bespoken wanderings into lavish drips of exotic synth. Ending on a loud and frightening conclusion, I am often startled, awoken to start the adventure over again. Its has been one of the best musical experiences this year!

Rating: 9/10

The Color 8 "Foot On The Gas" (2022)

 

This Arizona based four piece, The Color 8, are a somewhat eclectic assembly of talents. These musicians may revel in one anothers company but for this listener, their musical inspirations feel left behind in the past, as opposed to being nostalgic or revivalist. Little new is offered with many metallic riffs offering similar once aggressive tones to the likes of Cypress Hill's crossover, or Ice T's classic Body Count.

Its all driven forward by loose, dirty distortion guitar riffs, Rap and Metal collides with the spirit of their encounter around the late nineties early naughts. For that alone I'll find a stronger connection than most. Even appealing to my personal tastes, this five track struggles. Half rapped, half shouted hooks rarely land and the swift dexterous rap verses lack a spark on personality in the wake of rappers that came before.

WTFU is possibly the albums best track. Social politically charged, dropping in with bouncy riffs on the chorus, harmonic guitar noise licks for the verses. Its great but all from the Rage Against The Machine playbook. I could drone on with details and specifics but ultimately a lack of something original shining through really hinders the mediocrity. I've checked out their other material online and its clear they are talented, capable of so much more than this dulled rusty Rap Metal revival.

Rating: 2/10

Clipping "CLBBNG" (2022)

Still one to keep an eye on, even remixes of Clipping classics set for the club scene were a curiosity. The 90s sounds of Dance, House, Acid and even a soft sniff Big Beat make sturdy foundations for modern aesthetics. Producer Jonathan Snipes has made great of the source material. I would not of guessed the finessed story raps of Daveed Diggs could suit this mold. Kicking off with Nothing Is Safe, the soft synth tunes and shuffling percussion vibes well with his raps. Its second of four, Drop Low, follows along as an instrumental alternative take of the first track.

Things get interesting on Get Mine, kicking off the unforgettable alarm clock, its obnoxious grate is cut up and rearranged with groove alongside the percussion and Acid synth leads. Its counterweight of chopped up effeminate vocals go back and forth, finding interesting overlaps and a reference to Cypress Hill along the way. It would of been nice to hear more raps in the project. The final track samples the "drop that game on them" insistently, as dirty baselines rumble and pivot with bright piano chords and cheery child choir singing among an arsenal of animated sound effects.

As volume one of hopefully more, hearing this style meld with Digg's raps would be a treat. This installment offers just a glimpse of that, the rest of the material lays more on the shoulders of Snipes's own creativity. He is class at what he does but that middle ground could be better explored. There is clearly an interesting chemistry.

Rating: 4/10

Exhorder "Slaughter In The Vatican" (1990)

Reminded of thee band who helped shape Pantera's sound, it was time to revisit an old record I only knew of briefly upon learning about their influence on fellow southern metallers. Released later in the year than Cowboy's From Hell, the claim to originality, in terms of a Groove Metal style and the Phil Anselmo singing vernacular, lies within Exhorder's late 80s demos. At that time, the Abbott brothers were living out Kiss inspired fantasies in the local scene, with self produced Glam Metal records.

Slaughter In The Vatican is not the killer blow to Pantera's genius. Having studied its form, this is clearly an "of the time" hybrid of Death and Thrash Metal, pulling a few cunning ideas along for the ride. Its hard aesthetic, a dulled battering of low end guitar tone and clicky percussion is a pale aggression tiring from a lack of aesthetic vibrancy to spice its metallic rhythmic chops. On first gasp, quite the beast, lunging in hard with guitar grinds and drums bordering on blast beats, but the brutality lacks endurance. Its tone quickly narrows as the keen distinctions in groove are lost among an endless stream of atypical extremities lacking catchy hooks and memorable songs.

Its best song could just be Desecrator. Weathering the storm with its better riffs, it concludes with a dazzlingly lean and dark, swiftly osculating riff I'm sure Pantera have lifted somewhere in their later discography. Moments of distinction like this are far and few between. Not to dwell on comparisons but the point would be this, Slaughter In The Vatican is a rather typical record for the broader extreme music scene. Although a fun spin, on all fronts it lacks a spark to become spectacular despite its competence.

Rating: 6/10

Billie Eilish "Don't Smile At Me" (2017)

Ignorance leads to serendipity, as unbeknownst to me When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was not Billie Eilish's debut. Furthering an excitable confusion, all the songs of this prior EP were already relatively well known, given the extensive air play and commercial application her music as received. Stripped of experimental leaning aesthetics yet to germinate, Don't Smile At Me serves as a slick, slender collection of Pop tracks. Its hard to nail down its attributes, as flashes of various genres pass by. The music mostly leans on Billie's presence and Finneas's keen percussion, which carries the pacing through its spurts of instrumentation.

Both his apt production and balanced compositions are fantastic. Simple, catchy and clean, they compliment Billie's vocal melodies and lyrics so well. The genius clearly runs in the family. Now listening further back into her youth, as a teenager, Billie's lyrics are so surprisingly self certain. Mostly musing her words on the matters of love and relationships, not only does her voice shape luminous feelings into infectious hooks, her sincerity strikes with maturity too. Her massive success is no surprise.

These humble origins are yet to establish a unique tone among the loose and cluttered genre of Pop music. Despite this, the bright, brimming talents of this sibling duo would be heresy to dismiss. Most mystical of all, their youth. Both musical and emotional maturity displayed seems a true rarity. So as of late these nine songs, including a brief feature from Vince Staples, have been on heavy rotation. The downside? This moment in time has surely passed, unlikely to be captured again.

 

Rating: 8/10

Tamaryn "Tender New Signs" (2012)

This second foray into revivalist Shoegazing takes a matured aesthetic leap, leaving behind the stiff disappointment of debut The Waves. Armed with strong guitar melodies, the wall of sound is penetrated with quite a distinct tang, vague echoes of Country and Americana from its lead guitar licks. Often melting out of bendy shimmers, their moments of articulation bring a necessary melody to the dense breeze of dreamy, foggy warmth this colorful sound indulgently basks in.

Yet to truly dabble with the Pop sensibilities of Cranekiss, Tamaryn rarely emerges front and center, rather she is shy and reserved. Lowered in the mix and competing with the thick echos of effect smothered guitars, she blends into haze. Even on a more dynamic Transcendent Blue, she sings only in crowded spaces despite plenty of lulls. It creates a sense of intention to have a continuously deep tone for all of its songs.

This single minded approach breeds a lack of distinction. The mood of Tender New Signs is warm, a cozy space to curl up in yet it barely breaks for anything spectacular. Not even an alteration or deviation. Some melodies may be more distinct but they all follow a hazy path of bleeding instruments and dreamy aesthetics continuously fall into one another. Reasonable as a mood setter but in the forefront the album plays dulled and tired. Definitely a step in the right. The best yet to come.

Rating: 5/10

Abstract Void "Back To Reality" (2018)

 

What do we have here? A Synthwave and Black Metal crossover. Is this possible? Anything in music is but that doesn't always lead to success. In the case of Abstract Void this union of styles is slick and smooth, a luscious mix of glossy synths, dense guitars and distant shrill screams. Together, they steer Dance grooves into aggressive plunges as Back To Reality gradually layers on the intensity in its opening stretch.

The atypical night life, neon light vibes finds its balance with an atmospheric approach to Black Metal where slow, lunging Shoegazing melodies bridge the gap in composition. Percussion steers the music into its extremes as drum patterns rattle into blast beats and the like. Consistently emanating dazzling melodies from the layered keys, each song has quite a luminous presence. Glistening in its well crafted resonance, they venture to emotive the grandiose with its epic scaling melodies. Very satisfying.

The harsh yet muzzled screams feel like an afterthought. With such synthetic vibrancy steering the musics mood, the vocals arrive like discernible blocks of noise barely contributing to anything rhythmic. Its a minor blemish of wonderful chemistry that does feel somewhat obvious in retrospect. Although a brilliant union of distant realms, its played down the middle, nothing unique or unheard emerges as a consequence. With a little more adventurous spirit this could of traversed new terrain but to these aged ears it mostly resonated with solid ideas heard many a time before.

Rating: 7/10

Den Sorte Død "Depressiv Magi" (2022)

 

 Depressiv Magi, a fitting name for these steady solemn strolls through the pale. Its six chapters fragment all differing increments of funeral gloom and lonely wonders. Its bleak exterior, a dominating aesthetic, casts a forlorn prison to the minuscule glow within. Its stoic charm and glimpses of effervescence, caged, dragged and smothered by a nostalgic doom. Although the duo wrestle on occasion, its darkness that wins out.

Comprised of Dungeon Synth and Berlin School electronics, a textural affair is to be enjoyed. Foggy, fidelity diminishing Low Fi ideals rub against the precision of angular buzz, sine and saw wave oscillations. The two find a unison in unraveling songs where their composition and chemistry is apt. Although its often humanistic Dungeon Synth tones that represent escape from the glumness, they interweave rolls, creating quite the spectacle of impressive musicianship and craft.

Den Evindelige Skygge opens the record with a lurching sense of unease before its title track rebirths the tonal theme to reveal dire tensions. From here much of the relief is abandoned as these chilly, joyless atmospheres turn grave, often punctuated by driving percussive strikes that call out from the dark. Depressiv Magi is a well executed project but limited in scope it suits a particular mood.

Rating: 5/10

Kyros "Celexa Dreams" (2020)

 

Kyros have delivered fresh magic, a new "song of obsession". The epic ResetRewind gave me pause to go deep with this band. Their bold, unabashed exterior and enthusiastic tone would of been easily glossed over. So with their third album effort, the spins of Celexa Dreams have been numerous. The result? A keen, warm sound carving space where I knew not it could go. With the explorative spirit of Progressive Rock, the punchy, hard hitting instrumentation inches into with metallic territory. The vibes arrive with unshakable echos of performative 80s Synthpop and a subtle sense of VGM influences, perhaps from the likes of a Nobuo Uematsu and his Black Mages.

Built with both lengthy ten minute plus epics and short songs too, the record oozes its instrumentation like a river gushing. As a constant flood of musicality throws big punches, dazzling melodies and harmony, we are never far from the fold. With slapping baselines and big gated reverb percussion every idea is rhythmically powered along by a theatrical momentum. The ever-present synths both sing melodies and gently chime into a glorious wall of sound. The treatment is bright, a constant punchlines permeating as its aesthetics sparkle with a powerful persuasion.

Its clear, crisp, precise and full of character. Unsurprisingly the song structures can reach far beyond convention and on that adventure many exciting arrangements and dynamics are summited. Best of all Shelby Warne frequents these peaks with fantastic vocals. Soaring high, some of the albums best leads are in tandem with dramatic surges of catchy human wordings. The whole affair is a delight, reaching beyond its own moods, Celexa Dreams often steers one into its realm. With every familiar listen I've been sucked in regardless of where I was at before!

Rating: 8/10

Warpaint "The Fool" (2010)

 

Crooned by a blissful flurry of soothing sensual songs, Radiate Like This left its impression. An elegant stride through resonant pleasantries that had me seeking more. Disappointed by Heads Up, we lastly arrive full circle, at their origins. The Fool is a subtly engrossing record of broody chromatic Post-Punk, shimmering with dissonant melodies that fracturing its intensities. Through its dreary tapestry, blooms of saturation erupt. Spearheaded by sharp grooves, illusive voices and swelling guitar licks, each song is armed with a convergence from its apparently unsettled nature. Charcoal aesthetics, smothered in ash and rain, the glum exterior harbors gems, sequestered by its overcast skies. I adore the oxymoron. Bleak and pale, lost and aimless yet human colors seep through its pours as the melancholy evaporates.

Its a matter of chemistry that can hit or miss, mostly striking the mark. Composure for example never quite escapes its own shadow, stuck with a soft gloom. Bees on the other hand walks into a trap. Its initial grim frictions overturned with a triumphant baseline chime. Undertow sidesteps the duality entirely with its endearing warmth upfront from the get go. Variety lends itself textually with acoustic leaning songs, some occasional warbling electronics and sparing use of pianos. The Fool has sturdy foundations yet an illusive chemistry, its feet in two halves, a curious glowing charm.

Rating: 7/10

The Veldt "Afrodisiac" (1993)

Memory is a thickle thing. Essential, yet always fading, it shapes our reality in many ways. Fortunately this was harmless, a little shock to stumble over a record I thought could not exist. Seems I forgot of their history on my previous encounter with The Veldt. Their return fusing Dream Pop and Trap was a passing enjoyment. Its a farcry from Afrodisiac, a record fitting snugly into its era, without seeming remarkable or impactful. So far Its stuck me as the sort of album that just gets lost with the times.

With a lurch of early 90s Alternative Rock and Shoegazing distortions, the group fuse timely over-driven guitars with the sparse echos of Funk Metal groove. Its also a textural experience, sliding into dreamy spaces with glittery acoustics. The occasional fusion of Trip Hop drum loops proves expansive as the record sways between styles. Consistently singer Chavis's bold charismatic voice resembles an 80s ballad singer.

His presence is swell, a delight when the vibe clicks but often it arrives with friction. Its this contrast that all of its elements have in some degree, giving it a sense of "almost genius". The songwriting plays into this, ideas merging from different directions, a lot of material exposes its origins and the union doesn't quite find the apt chemistry.

That being said, its an exploration of ideas that has plenty of engaging moments in its lengthy hour long stay. Heather strikes me as a peak, a broody dark wailer of a song powered along by its Industrial percussive thuds. Ultimately, Afrodisiac strikes me as a clear product of the times, not quite finding a way for its unique overlaps to blossom. That being said, it gave me a sense that continued exposure would grow on me more.

Rating: 6/10

Regina Spektor "Home, Before And After" (2022)

 

Six years have whizzed by since Remember Us To Life. An impression was left, one of age and fragility, a beautiful moment of vulnerability captured on Obsolete. That emotive power of honest introspection has felt absent on this newest venture. Regina goes through the motions with embellished instrumentals, a far cry from the origins of her lone voice and piano. Still singing in her cutesy quirky cadence of whispers and wordplay, the synergies between intention and expression seem bold and obvious.

Home, Before And After mostly struggles with if that synergy clicks. Each song has its own character, often emphasized more by the extended array of warm instrumental sounds than Regina herself. On-boarding lavish string sections and 80s Synth Pop tones among others, the album cycles through bright and varied aesthetics. So often do they burst to life with emphasis and purpose, as if to say the words not spoken.

Its simplest song, Raindrops, was my favorite. Just her delicate voice and a soft piano. Humming tunes along the way, the endearing Regina emerges in her element. Many of the other songs have these humble beginnings too. Yet they often stray into the crescendo, a need to swell and bloom in extravagant conclusion. From a song writing perspective, its well orchestrated but on this outing the big production stripped out her charming personality. The instrumentals seem to drain Regina's unique vibe. They drift away from the magic, a soft, subtle and calming setting she is more suited too.

Rating: 5/10

Tamaryn "The Waves" (2010)

 

Without the punch and powwow of tuneful Pop sensibilities she would develop later on Cranekiss, Tamaryn's debut leans hard on its textural Shoegazing haze. Its a dreary debut hinged on distant guitars that wail harsh Ethereal ambiguities. The groaning textures shimmer and stew in the heat, droning without a gratifying conclusion. Its song structures I take issue with. Each whirling, repeating wash of noise and her various weaving of voice tend to ride the initial exotic wave. As its character sets in, the songs lack a counterpoint, and thus the hazy guitar textures begin to grate.

The percussion is often distant, a drum machine falling mercy to smothering aesthetics. Often its a step behind, lacking presence to command tempo or inject a rhythmic groove. Love Fade is one song that stands apart. The drums have comparable gusto. The gratifying vocals in the chorus give it a half hearted shift off the main loop. Its a single exception among a collection of nine songs that couldn't find an aesthetic chemistry or musical component to define themselves. Every spin of The Waves has been somewhat uneventful. Mediocre and mild as background music but in the foreground it seemed so lacking in life. Quite a dull affair.

Rating: 3/10

Exhorder "Mourn The Southern Skies" (2019)

 

If anyone had a claim on Pantera's era defining sound, these neighboring Louisiana's had the framework for a new metallic approach locked in years before Cowboys From Hell. Having disbanded in 94, I was shocked to hear them in rotation on Spotify with new material decades later. More so was the similarity to the "Phil Anselmo" breed of groovy Southern Metal. With a foggy memory I returned to Exhorder's debut, Slaughter In The Vatican. A brief reflective listen had me in awe. Kyle Thomas's cunning vernacular a blueprint for Anselmo to emulate. It's been quite the historical reminder and undoubtedly I'm gonna have to dive into those old records again.

Mourn The Southern Skies is a ripe affair. Reviving classic groove oriented, fist pumping power and might, the southern swagger scales atop fiery momentous. Kyle rides the waves of crushing guitars and battering drums with attitude as they burn through iterations on the arsenal of techniques accustom to this sound. Its secret weapon is quality. With little in the way of innovation, the band churn through sludgy stomping rhythmic grooves. Baked by southern humidity, it oozes style and persona. Guitar solos dazzle but unsurprisingly, can't charm like a Dimebag. Reasonable in theatrics, a couple leads take a more dynamic roll in musical direction, a niche touch.

 

A competent production aesthetic serves its purpose with a touch of rawness, possibly brought on by budget constraints. Exhorder have never been a big name in Metal. Its kind of remarkable to hear they have been sitting on such talent and inspiration. However this return has influences in reverse as the last twenty plus years of Groove Metal's legacy can be heard throughout. A great record but it can't claim originality this time out. Final thoughts? Listening to this record feels like stepping into an alternate reality given the back story. Looks like I'm adding nineties Metal to the playlist next!

Rating: 7/10