Damageplan "New Found Power" (2004)

 

"We are Damageplan and we have a plan for damage". A cheesy pun and awful introduction to this wrangle of young Metalheads who imidiatly turned up the nose. That's all I remember of my friendship groups stance on the Paul brother's then latest band. With the recent enjoyment of Reinventing The Steel, it occurred to me, the late, great Dimebag had more in the arsenal that I was yet to experience.

Uniting with vocalist Patrick Lachman and bassist Bob Zilla, the Paul brothers embraced a then rapidly fading Nu Metal approach to Metal. Although received to lukewarm receptions at the time, age has served it well. New Found Power embraces the cultural accent fondly and injects a smoky southern flair. Vinnie eases off the gas with percussive might focusing on syncopation with his brothers power chord grooves.

As repeated spins made their craft known, it became clear that much of the Pantera persona remains with Dimebag. However, he aptly slows his playing, a shift in tone and easing of pace re-texturing his style, a subtle disguise but the southern steel is still their. His shrill squeals, bouncy bends and slick slides are all among the architecture. Dynamically, he flexes between simplistic Nu Metal alike grooves and lunges of guitar manipulation, fleshing out a soft aesthetic madness to indulge with.

Patrick Lachman does a fine job upfront, a powerful voice, one perhaps singing from the shadows. The likes of Layne Staley, Jason Popson, even Anselmo on occasion and Corey Taylor who features on a track too. Essentially, he brings a fine sound for the times but lacks his own identity. Because of this, much of the record fits the mold without breaking form as its character nails the downtrodden tone of the time.

Damageplan play the sound well but on occasion they drift into another lane. Blink Of An Eye has an unmistakably Korn distinction to its mimsy lead guitar melody. Even though New Found Power lacks a strong distinction, its execution is excellent. Very interesting to hear Dimebag nail another scenes guitar sound so well. There are even dense moments that felt as if a DJ's adding a layer of noise to the mix. Its actually Dimebag wailing on his strings. Glad I checked it out, a fun record for rocking out!

Rating: 7/10

Soulfly "Totem" (2022)

 

 Four years back Ritual failed to make a lasting impression with me. Prior to its release Max had caught my ear again with Cavalera Conspiracy's Pyschosis, a powerhouse of a record. Tuning in once again, I find a lack of distinction for why this should be called Soulfly, in comparison to Max's other projects. Long gone are the bounce riffs and Nu Metal hallmarks that defined the name. All that's left now is the distinctive cultural sounds of its twelfth self-named instrumental track Soulfly XII.

Totem is in essence another fiery sprint of razor-wired metal dashing across the danger fields. Foaming at the mouth with rage, Max roars forever youthful. Intense, ceaseless drums chase along a dense wall of thrashing guitars that pound out beastly riffs. Its a riot of energized aggression. A veteran pulling out the old stunts with renewed vigor and an infectious spirit. Little is new, novel or even surprising but the execution is hounding, throbbing with attitude. A lot of fun when in the mood.

Like with Pyschosis, its the production that raises the bar. These riffs and atypical arrangements could be rather stale in a different environment but the dense, smothering tone simply engulfs all in its path. Max churns through the motions with Death and Thrash riffs leaning on chunky stomps of palm muting and chugging, occasionally drifting into a bouncy groove, although these are always short lived.

Rot In Pain and Ancestors have flashes in the pan textures, hailing Sepultura's Roots record. They are among a string of competent songs firing with firm intentions. Then Soulfly XII offers up its dreamy acoustic flavors and the tone is reset for Spirit Animal. Its the albums best song, soaring in with tribal entanglements and going out on a high as it unravels into a weary mess. Not Max's best output but consistent and fun to spin.

Rating: 7/10

Abstract Void "Wishdream" (2021)

 

 

Venturing further into the union of Synthwave and Black Metal, we find elevated production aesthetics that I'm not entirely sure aids the experience. My main gripe is with the vocals. On Back To Reality they served as an incessant groan, elongated barks of discernible noise. Not as intrusive, Wishdream's strides for clarity has the shouts and blemishes of ambitious drum programming break the illusion on occasion.

Otherwise Its a similar animated experience again with little to comment on in terms of progression and direction, its another seven tracks of nighttime adventure taking periodic plunges into the abyss. Glossy, luminous synths and flickering melodies eventually give way to metallic grooves. Dense distortion guitars are notably reserved, leaving much of the colorful charm with its energetic key arrangements.

 

Each song blazes along with similar arpeggio melodies and sharp synth oscillations. A few keyboard solos give some context to direction but rarely does the attempts to break the mold feel gratifying. Beyond the appeal of this union of opposing style, Abstract Void doesn't quite land on anything deeper with this next chapter, even though there is potential. Wishdream essentially serves as more of the same, fitting for the right mood but rarely breaking ones attention with its ambitions.

 

Rating: 6/10

Pantera "Reinventing The Steel" (2000)

With a so called Pantera union on the mind, my attention naturally wandered to the legendary Texans final output. Reinventing The Steel is the one record I'd never payed close attention too, despite knowing all its songs from parties and good times with friends. Among fans and critics alike it maintains a mixed reputation, one of the reasons I'd rarely give it a spin. If I recall the lore, its creation was born as Phil and the Paul brothers were drifting apart with Anselmo continuing to prioritize side projects.

 Its easy to see why a mixed reception came about, a soft sense of autopilot, or formulaic writing permeates its mood. These songs shuffle out all the Pantera tricks we love in just the way we know. Despite the lack of flash in the pan, a romp of fist pumping, head banging metallic bangers play out with spirit. Phil rocks a plethora of catchy lines and hooks to get stuck in your head and the whole thing plays cohesively through an arsenal of stomping groovy riffs and Dimebag's electrified signature solos.

In a departure from the trajectory The Great Southern Trendkill's offered, the group ease off the gas when it comes to extremity. Hellbound may kick off with dense guitar grinding, pummeling drum beats and the harshest of screams in its chorus but much of what follows leans on smart song writing, putting curated hooks and riffs front and center with Vinnie and Rex housing the wild spurts of catchy, groovy aggression.

Its a real riff fest, Dimebag clearly not slowing on ideas and inspiration as he chews through all iterations of axe grinding. This is however, the first time new ground isn't broken. No surprises are in store as all its components have a link back to prior songs and ideas. Vinnie Paul does stand out with a stiff, hard hitting presence. His unsubtle performances lacking variation in velocity, pounding away like a machine set to max.

This percussive style may also contributes to a somewhat sterile production. All the instruments miss an acoustic ambience. Lacking depth and reverb, a sense of environmental texture is absent. Despite this, the talent of all personal thrives. Although Reinventing The Steel may not have the youthful vitality or spark of urgency its predecessors had, the attitude is still present. This is a matured band, still capable of performing their stunts, something which may of tired had they routinely pumped records out after this but sadly, this would be their final works together.

Rating: 7/10

Tamaryn "Dreaming The Dark" (2019)

  

Embarking on a forth of four records, Tamaryn's linage becomes crystal clear. From her patchy embryonic origins, The Waves roots in Shoegazing noise steadily blossomed. Culminating with an arrival of infectious Synthpop suggestions on Cranekiss, Dreaming The Dark is a natural conclusion. Steered away from ethereal ambiguities and dense guitar textures, this record lands firmly on the catchy synth driven sound of 80s. As a retroactive sound, it embraces all the glories of modern production, carving ear worms with courageous singing and jiving keyboard melodies.

Angels Of Sweat roars out the gate with an empowered stride, setting a striking tone. Soaring vocals scale the octaves, animated with emotion as Tamaryn lends her words to wild hooky inflections. Hard hitting saw waves bustle and punchy percussive rhythms rock to form a united front, executing this fantastic song writing boldly.

As great records do, Dreaming The Dark explores temperament and mood narrowed to nightly vibes. The shadowy allure of melodies shimmering in cold resonance broods. Stiff drum patterns loop, charging vivid synth leads with a subtle curation of hazy steel guitars in the backdrop. Its a key chemistry, chaining Tamaryn's energetic, upbeat presence. Leading her through shrouded, dreamy drifts into darker spaces.

On occasional, this spell is broken. Victim Complex amps up bold synths, jiving hard on a vibe. Her singing explores a multitude of catchy deliveries, the chorus erupting with charisma. The Jealous Kind hits a similar cheery tone while offering a broody plunge between its bright lead melodies. Another song of note, possibly the records best, is Path To Love. Possessing a beautiful instrumental chemistry, a duet with a brief male counterpart gives it another riveting flavor that gels smoothly.

Dreaming The Dark reshapes the best attributes of 80s Synthpop into its glorious dreamy sway. Tamaryn swoons on a high, backed by a contrast of bright, cheerful infection and hazy Ethereal wonder. It hangs in a cunning balance. When locked in by grasp, the record feels reminiscent to the sways of classics like Black Celebration. Yet in its latter half, a couple songs loose pacing, finding a lull. Otherwise this would of been near flawless. One to come back to again in the years to come for sure!

Rating: 8/10

The Color 8 "First Friday" (2018)

  

The second of two picks by this intriguing band has also yielded a sour taste. Unlike Foot On The Gas, First Friday mixes up its raw Rap Metal riffing styles with jam sessions and Smooth Jazz tones. This is no sleek crossover between opposing temperaments but a clash of moods. Songs swing from fiery angered rap verses and gritty guitars to soft and supple melodies swooning in their own ambience.

We On and X gel its ends together awkwardly. Distorted yet bluesy guitars bustle and hustle but to what avail? The record drifts from one idea to the next, lacking focus or concept, with a breezy, mellow mediocrity in its sails. The finer aesthetics emerge in its Jam sessions when its instruments find a groovy cohesion, warm at first but lacking a depth after repetitions. This band had a spark in their best material online but I found none of that here. I think I'll close the door on this one for now.

Rating: 3/10

Dreamstate Logic "Space Born" (2020)

 

This will be no regular record review. More so a marking for my future self. The purpose of this blog has always been to catalog the musical exploration, providing references to our adventures. Memory is a limited resource and although personally music evokes the sharpest of recalls, it is still a healthy practice that has helped me resurface many magics that haven't popped into the conscious experience.

Keying in the right combination of terms to suit my introspective mood, Cosmic Ambience yielded a stellar find. With a catalog of similar sounding ambient pieces, the idea of a "record review" felt wayside to the simple and familiar pleasures this artist offered. Similar in emotion to Carbon Based Lifeforms and with cosmic tones akin to Stellardone, an especially calming melody of dawning astral synths and lofty reverberations offered a deep wondrous peace in its soothing temporal chambers.

Its seven songs scales the starlight as a sense of drifting beyond time carries one on a gentle glide through the infinite. Dreamstate Logic differentiates itself with a calming temperament that does on occasion stride with gusto as lumbering percussion rumbles up momentum and the odd shining melody pushes itself into focus.

It may be that this artist has more to offer but with a plethora of albums released in 2020, one would suspect these are pallets of spacial ambiences, as opposed to distinct musical experiences. That impression could be a falsehood, so as I revisit this mood, I'll see what I unearth but for now this will be a permanent fixture on my relaxation and focus playlist.

Rating: 7/10

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