Violet Cold "Magic Night" (2016)

Hailing from Azerbaijan and claiming to be an "AI simulated music project", this beautifully bleak and tranquil take on Atmospheric Black Metal doesn't gain any special quality from its claimed origins. The aesthetic no doubt is a work of human ear. The shrill tremolo guitar, gently cushioned by reverb, is mixed sweetly alongside deeply uplifting choral synths of awe and wonder. The drums push blast beats on occasion but mostly fall back on half paces with lots of pedal work, holding down a driving tempo for the synths and guitars to create a wash of astral, serene noise to indulge in. Accompanying pianos and glossy synthetic instruments cut through wall of buffering sound to add lead melodies and thematic progressions through rather minimal use of melody as the songs repeat many sections over and over.

Despite its highly repetitive nature and a lack of vocals to shape up passageways, its aesthetic construct is so luscious and intoxicating one will simply drift into the blissful existential beauty. Where does the AI come into this? I suspect that many melodies and drum patterns may have been generated through music tools and stitched together where appropriate. At its core this is very simple and repetitive music but its keen aesthetic design and concepts, like breaking up its wall of sound with piano, interludes keep the music interesting as that uplifting state is returned to after respites. For Amelie may be an exception, a classical piano piece reminding me of VNV Nation melodies and a hint of Chopin too, its hard to think of this song as composed by AI.

The record sustains this blissful construct throughout. Despite a lack of diversity in progression, its shifts in synth tone and varying assembly of the same formula work. The question for me now is how long does this hold up? And where do I find more? This has a similar tone to Saor and Kauan, it could even signal a sub-sub genre within Post-Black Metal. Superb record, almost meditative at times, toning back the aggression from the drums would probably serve it wells as its best passing moments are always on the half beats when the music mellows out and cruises along.

Favorite Tracks: Everything You Can Imagine Is Real, Sea, Silver Moon, Last Day On Earth

Rating: 7/10

Alice In Chains "Alice In Chains" (1995)

With a distinct shift in style from the likes of Dirt and Facelift, American Grunge and Metal outfit Alice In Chains throw a lot at the wall but little sticks. This self titled release has a clear artistic intention to not repeat themselves, however most of the differing ideas still feel experimental and without cohesion. Most of the music slips into a sludgier, gritty tone with a slow Doom Metal like tempo and atmosphere dominating the vibe. Its on these tracks like the opening Grind we hear a stylistic template that would stay with them to this day. The other half of songs unfortunately fall folly to this lack of glue in the experimentation as some ideas don't gel well.

Its Staley's last studio album with the band and he is somewhat subdued with a lack of those roaring hooks that would soar and sink into you like an infection. His voice is strong and capable but mostly matches the tone of these droning tracks. There are some clear experiments to reach new avenues with his singing, trying different inflections, Nothin' Song being a clear example of both lyric and execution feeling far from the grain. This also extends to Cantrell's riffing style too, mostly its temperate, slowed and washed out grooves creating slow sludgy grooves but these inflections of Country tang and Blues Rock feel off beat when they cut in suddenly.

There is a lot of good, slow moving and moody music here but the chemistry isn't ripe. If this were by another band I may have enjoyed it more however the bar had been set so high. There is also this linger feeling in the music that the band later nailed these sludgy concepts after finding DuVall. Its context given the year may yield it more significance in terms of originality but as we reach the end of this little revivalist journey I am left a little disappointed. It has its moments but at sixty five minutes you have to wade through lengthy songs winding around the main theme to find them.

Favorite Tracks: Brush Away, Head Creeps, God Am

Rating: 6/10

My Friday At All Points East Festival

 It was Scarlord and Run The Jewels that lured me to Victoria Park for another day at a London Festival. Little did I know what an amazing day of music was awaiting for me among a handful of bands, mostly from the UK, that Id barely heard of before! Good weather and decent festival food made for a good outing that will have me picking up more records than I can listen to as per usual!
 

Scarlxrd

Arriving a little late for the opening act the day kicked off with a booming performance. Scarlxrd and his DJ have a crazy amount of energy on stage. The two went bonkers on stage, exhausting every drop of their youthful energy with wild antics. The DJ makes no mask of the fact he is simply hitting the play button most the time, leaving the decks to rock out with comical expression and a self aware humor that was enduring. Scar's scream raps were electrifying and the whole show felt like a bomb had gone off! I knew it would be special and it was.

Employed To Serve
 Tight UK Hardcore with a hint of Deathcore in the mix. These guys turned up and rocked out hard counter grooves, throw downs and slams with a fair degree of individuality. Not something to sweep you off your feet but they certainly put together a great show and kept the music rolling strong. Their new song Force Fed was killer!

Alice Glass

 With a brief listen on Youtube I thought I wouln't enjoy this so much but something about live music makes it easier to digest. Alice had a timid and lonely presence on stage that made mountains of sense to the tone of Her esoteric and ethereal take on noise, glitch and electronica. It had an engrossing atmosphere held firmly together by the driving beats of the drummer. Great show.

Yonaka

My engagement was a little subdued by chowing down on some hot food but standing at a distance I could really appreciate her voice. What initially seemed like fluffy Pop Rock turned out to have some subtlety diverse influences and quality composition that made for very enjoyable and inviting music with her voice being the main pull.

IDLES

 Arriving a little late and looking for a spot in the shade to sit It didn't take long for IDLES to suck me in. Lead vocalist Joe Talbot grabs attention with his plain spoken style, deadpan sense of humor that sticks to his liberal political views that dominate crowd interaction between songs. As the songs delve into marching repetitions of percussion led Industrial Rock and Post-Punk grooves, he again brings forth thought and commentary that aligns with a somewhat frustrated overtone.

Sleeping With Sirens

Not exactly my cup of tea but live most things sound decent and this Pop Rock group were alright. From a distance I watched as they burned through bright and glossy rock songs with a tinge of Metal attitude in places. Lots of pretty melodic overtones akin to Metalcore too, was a good listen.

Nothing By Thieves

Possibly the most impressive show from the bands I knew not of. Brooding music, building its momentum to climactic outbursts resonated through the incredible voice of Conor Mason. You could really see the feeling in his performance, strong and emotional Rock music with an experimental edge in their slightly disjointed rhythm guitars. Great set.

While She Sleeps

As the sun came out in full force I found myself hanging back in the shades. Reasonable timing since I knew what I was in for, a banging Hardcore, Metalcore, Deathcore hybrid with strong melodic overtones. I'd seen them before and I wasn't pulled in any closer despite them having some strong moments in the set, it didn't appeal to me all that much.

Run The Jewels

I had waited all day for Run The Jewels, this would of been the forth time seeing them. The sound was garbage right at the front so I dropped back and the Hip Hop duo were phenomenal once again. Their music translates wonderfully live. I love how the set transitions from hard bangers into the deeper, moving and meaningful songs. They put a message to their performance and it went by in a flash. Best of the day by far!

Architects

 Chowing down on some hot Paella De Veduras I lurked at the back and once again Architects blew me away with an amazing live show. I still don't know how I'm yet to pick up a record of theirs, Ive seen them many times now and its always a fantastic performance. Really solid, booming Metalcore with plenty of blow away riffs. They sounded sharp as ever and really put on a show.

Bring Me The Horizon

Its probably a matter of time before the once hated, dirty Deathcore goons Bring Me The Horizon will headline Download Festival. Promoting new record Amo in front of a smaller crowd they proved themselves good for a headline show with adequate set design and costumes to match. They perhaps took a bit to much time between songs and with intervals but the crowd enjoyed the interactions from front man Oli Sykes with his crazy colored eye lenses. He brought out Danni Filth in full makeup too for a brief appearance and it was great to see such a strong response for their old music as Pray For Plagues fired up mosh pits. The new music sounds great too and I was a bit gutted to leave early, walking hastily out as the music went on. Great show and I am amazed how I never realized what " Your full of sugar, honey, ice and tea" meant till its anagram was plastered on the big screen.

Beastmaker "Eye Of The Storm" (2019)

It feels like there may be a trend emerging in Metal, one of quality too. Since Ghost have risen to prominence, inklings of classic Metal ideas are resurfacing in the likes of Puppy, Green Lung & Baroness, the latter bearing a strong influence on this group. Beastmaker are a three piece outfit from California who off the back of two full lengths spent 2018 banging out ten four track EPs. That's a prolific output and this new four track is their first of the year, its also my introduction to the group. I'd also like to compliment the group on their awsum record artwork aesthetics, a sharpened revival of 60s satanic horror defined by high contrast and bold use of selected de-saturated colors. Its fantastic and a really alluring, eye grabbing style that brought me to them.

The bands music is a hybrid of "traditional" and Doom Metal. A raw, gristly distortion lays down temperate, forward moving chunks of rhythm and melody over equally gritty and fuzzing baselines. The two link up at times like a pair of rhythm guitars, gnarly in the deep end and smoothing out into the higher notes. It allows them to sound like a four piece when the solos light up like a rocket. They have all the makings of classic styles, taking off with an eruption to capture your attention and swoon with their colorful presence. The music also deploys timely bells and synth elements, not over played, sounding very natural. Its a little ugly with its power chords but as classic Iron Maiden like leads come to fruition it finds a magic driving through with its melody licks.

As said before its mainly on the singing style that Baroness have a influence on singer Church. Something about the inflections, timing of delivery and strains on his voice feels strikingly alike to Baizley. The trio have a vibe and with creepy, Horror and Occult inspired lyricism. It brews a fun, expressive stage of theatrics, very much contained within the musics setting. These songs play out with strong fundamentals. A good ear for riffs and linking them together in solid structures that often play into melodic breaks that evolve into solos or climaxes. Its pure Metal and they rock their niche well. I will have to have a poke around through their now extensive collection of records for something else of interest as I do very much enjoy this classic, revivalist sound!

Favorite Tracks: Eye Of The Storm, My Only Wish

Rating: 5/10

Tyler The Creator "Igor" (2019)

There is no doubt that Tyler is in an evolutionary stride as an artist. Two years off the back of the widely acclaimed Scum Fuck Flower Boy he returns with a similar tone and sense of theater that's channeled into a vulnerable, personal space. Its bold musical fun, flourishing with feeling, flowing with creativity and taking inspiration from classic Soul and R&B, the likes you might hear on Motown. These are just some specific moments though, it all comes through the filter of Tyler's quirky, synthetic world. Playful melodies and jiving percussive lines of intentional groove are a constant pleasure as we stroll into his oddball dreamworld of emotional pains.

The albums lyrical theme is bold and dominating. Relationships, breakups and the hardships of his love life surface through wording that feels fractions away from classic love songs. Its always shaded by these quirky compositions that imbued a playful, innocent, off-color harmony heard through its colorful instrumentation and singing. Sung wordings, talked raps or pitch shifted voices, Tyler vents his frustrations and heart aches with a raw authenticity, illuminating his organic and vivid backing tracks. The two just melt together effortlessly and make for a distinct experience.

This record does has two flavors to it. Many of the tracks play with bold, almost cheesy synths that lay bare strong melodies, often getting mini tangents, solos and plenty of expressive outlets to pull apart the repetitive nature of Hip Hop and let the music ooze. Deeper into the album we find more sample oriented songs with 70s Soul and R&B vibes. A Boy Is A Gun, Puppet & Gone Gone pivot on these oldskool vibes with the latter reminding me of a Jackson Five chorus. When Tyler pulls it together with vocals it finds its cohesion, more so when the bold synths drop in.

These vocal approaches are a point to talk on. Many half hit notes, lackadaisical singing and off key notes exploit this place quirky, playful place where it manifests as authenticity. It plays wonderfully into this highly stylish record that feels very rooted in reality. Its a bright and gleaming light of artistic creativity and expression flowing effortlessly. He is certainly excelling as a music producer and composer, Igor has magic moments in droves. Its not all golden but its a hard record to knock down. Every time Ive spun it, I found myself completely locked into its direction.

Favorite Tracks: Igor's Theme, New Magic Wand, What's Good, I Don't Love You Anymore
Rating: 8/10

Alice In Chains "Jar Of Flies" (1994)

It seems that between albums Alice In Chains liked to release acoustic EPs, the former being Sap. I had actually gone into this thinking it was a direction change full length, with a mind for curation. Much like the current trend of short, high curated projects, Jar Of Flies has seven songs, a couple with distortion at just thirty minutes. Its all killer no filler and the emotionally wrenching magic it possess leaves one feeling like this should be seen as no side offering but some of the bands best music.

Once again the band let their Americana and Blues Rock influences flourish, mustering humid flows of steady paced and gorgeous, glistening acoustic toned instrumentals for Staley to take stage. He does as he does, pulling on your heart strings with a lonely despair and sorrow, bleeding his quiet suffering from a camouflaged voice. His delivery roars with a vulnerable power that lures you in with its catchy flow yet all that awaits is pain and darkness. The "My privacy is raped" line on Nutshell is particularly haunting. Its a line stuck in my mind for weeks.

Its the beautiful dichotomy of stunning, serine music and searing raw pain weaving this dazzling darkness again. The musicianship is sublime, tones of lucid arrangements oozing with inspiration as ripe guitar leads flow and complimentary instrumentation like the timely use of strings seem to arrive on time effortlessly in these songs. Its not without weak points however, from one to the other their is diversity in flavor and its last two tracks drop off from the path set beforehand.

Swing On This feels like a leftover idea from Dirt hashed together with some swashbuckling acoustics. Before it the soft and delicate Don't Follow with its Country tang guitars and harmonica doesn't quite resonate in the beginning with Cantrell's voice. The first five however are emphatic, Rotten Apple making a mark as their longest track to date. The whole project feels so deserving of a full length, the group nail this style almost as well as their grooving distortion songs.

Favorite Tracks: Rotten Apple, Nutshell, Whale & Wasp

Rating: 7/10

Rammstein "Rammstein" (2019)

With a ten year absence, German Industrial Metal titans Rammstein return on strong footing with a solid, bold slice of what they are best known for. My personal enjoyment of this untitled, or self titled record, may have been swayed by their lack of existence in my musical rotation over the last decade or so. Its long since the days of youth, when albums Sehnsucht and Mutter where binged frequently. These new songs set a path that doesn't attempt to recreate any former glory but aligns all the components of their distinct, trademarked identity, executing it sweetly on a welcome return to stir all the emotions and sounds they mustered in the past, as well as new ones.

The classic fist pumping, leg pounding stomp personified by brutish front man Till Lindermann's live antics can be felt from start to end. A sweet and sharp, snappy and cushioned snare drum maligns the songs with that charging industrial pounding. The guitars drop in with meaty chugs of palm muting and power chords played with cold rhythmic precision. They are slightly shy in the mix, at times feeling like an undercurrent, rather than the main focus. A string of songs from Puppe to Weit Weg sees the guitars play a more complimentary roll with plenty of absence and other instruments taking control. It works, adds flavor to the flow and yields a fantastic performance from Lindermann on Puppe who delivers intense and snarly shouts with a snatch of venom. It leads into a passageway blackened by nothing other than howling tremolo Black Metal guitars.

To my ears the songs movements and shifts are pivoted on chord progressions from the guitar department but its the electronics that are given ample space to texture and tone these songs. Often with simple and minimal components do they muster a strong sense of atmosphere and color. Their roll is so dynamic and swift at times it can almost feel unnoticed given the big industrial drive from its meatier instruments. The balance and diversity of these dynamics is a highlight. So is the brilliantly triumphant and enigmatic opening track. The German tongue sounding militant and mighty although I have no clue whats really being said. I prefer to leave the lyrical element a mystery, the music is far more intriguing this way. Overall I'm not left with a lot to say, this is a competent Rammstein sounding like they have little difficulty finding inspiration nearing twenty five years on their very robust formulae. It stands up well and has me excited to see them live again!

Favorite Tracks: Deutschland, Radio, Puppe, Tattoo

Rating: 7/10

Hunt The Dinosaur "Hunt The Dinosaur" (2014)

Ive had quite the chuckle with this little EP. These Texans have a new record looming around the corner, so I thought id warm myself up with this debut record. Hunt The Dinosaur are a not-so-serious Deathcore Djent band who will make little waves in the scene thanks to front man Hunter Madison's extraordinary guttural scream raps. It sounds unique, a fast flail of snarly, throaty gasps hurled at an impressive speed. Its toned, textural and well executed. His arsenal of other screaming styles are fully competent for the music too. If one strong influence comes to mind It is probably Corey Taylor of Slipknot who is known for blending rap rhythms into his screams.

The music behind is an impressive pull of self-awareness and comical in jokes. The tropes of breakdowns and excessive down tuned guitar tones are deployed in humorous extremes that do a fantastic job of balancing groove and landing an impact with its mocking nature. The lyrical depth also feels like a mockery, shallow topics are bolstered by plain and frank language that punctuates its bluntness in sync with the music, dropping its most abysmal lyrics at fitting times. Initially it musters a smirk but becomes rather monotonous as the joke grows old in its simplicity.

The big problem is the imposed limitations of a project that isn't to be taken seriously. In the right mood it will give you a smile but of the several listens Ive endured its joke tires quickly and the songs turn into a mechanical slog dragging their way towards little spurts of genuine interest that each song has in the form of a riff, screamed rap or punch line. Its been fun, a barrel of laughs to enjoy with friends and I look forward to their new album however I am hoping they can deploy some more substance with the music as a fair fraction of this record is rather lifeless beyond the gag.

Rating: 4/10

Arkhtinn "VI" (2018)

This sixth installment in the Arkhtinn series is another two halves of blisteringly nihilistic Black Metal and creepy ambiguous Dark Ambient noise. Chapters IV and V both steadily progressed in opening up the aesthetic clarity, or dampening the lack off it. VI follows in this trend, sounding a fraction clearer but most notably hits an impressive stride in its opening segment. Pummeling monotonous blast beats and astral synths play with the perpetual epic scaling foundational to the music. Its another race to the depths of the cold, lonely void and with a sweet succession of stake raising atmosphere through annihilating rapid pedal work, the track soars to new heights.

The pace thickens as slews of monstrous, howling screams of agony play up the inklings of melody and tune that crescendo this surging start. It then hits a pivot point with the typical Darkspace dominant guitar chug smothering the musics tone. From this point onward its a progressive maze of ideas with recurring themes. A hard hitting and sinister guitar riffs that take center stage at first, then shifts tone as hauntings of astral melodies fall into rotation. The song fails to lock back into a sense of linage, although some of the sections around the sixteen minute mark rescue a sense of direction and conclusion but it too falls to sudden shifts that feel unconnected.

Its Ambient counterpart has been the least interesting so far. Its a lengthy slog of ambiguous noises. Hums and drones of bells clatter in a dungeon like atmosphere. One can feel the fog drifting through unlit and dank corridors, chambers and rooms. Unsavory whispering voices can be heard rumbling under the fog and as the echos bounce around, the song slowly musters up intensity as groans turn into rumbling growls and screams build up into intense swells. It breaths and contracts but nether reaches a shift it tone or an event, it just drones on and on. Some progression and direction would of made it far more interesting, once you decipher whats going on that's about it. The track just lingers on its main idea. This chapter has some of their best but also suffers stagnating song design of perpetual shifts worse than before.

Rating: 6/10

Little Simz "Grey Area" (2019)

Every year I aim to find fresh artists, new releases and so far just a measly thirteen records. Despite me failing to get in a discovery groove, it has yielded some fantastic albums. The Goat, Woodland Rites, Empath & Kill The Sun, all contenders for top lists. Now to throw in another contender in the mix, Grey Area blew me away with just the first listen alone. My ritualistic listening has since convinced me Little Simz is a talent to behold and this is my first encounter. Its her third full length and she certainly sounds experienced on the mic. With a light, firm and steady flow, soft, flat toned voicing and sparkling lyrical creativity, I am reminded of one the greats, Rakim, in a roundabout way. Simz style stands on its own, a plain faced, spoken word calmness with an urban London charm ready to slip into slick rhyming grooves and swift flows as your lured in by her calmness. Its gorgeous and has some of the best rhymes Ive heard in sometime! "I'm a boss in a fudging dress!"

Her technical proficiency wont take long to perk your ears but whats equally earnest and engrossing is the topicality and self reflection. With her words she locks you in to situations, trains of thoughts and introspection with a vivid intensity that manifests in witty, expressive and cultural claps of rhyme that rock and rattle when she gets into a flow. She comes across as a genuine character with sincerity and authenticity in abundance. Some of these songs open a door into her life as an artist, struggling and working hard to succeed while dealing with life's stresses. Its not on an every track basis but just about each song has a pull. A little braggadocio and chest pumping comes into play on the albums slickest song Venom. Its on the flip side and her boisterous style is marvelous, flows swell with sharp, smart and damn right mean lyricism, its venomous. Ok that pun was just plain awful! XD

You'd be no fool to see how talented she is but behind the words, these instrumentals pulled together are fresh, fun, classy and right on point for setting the tone. It kicks of from Offense with an Indie feeling executed with a Jazz Rock flair. The beats are stripped back, the instruments have a live feel, high fidelity and its not until the third song that a more traditional Jazz Hop vibe. Its peaked with beautiful singing from Cleo Sol. The production is utterly sweet, Grey Area is a short, compact and tight record that churns through its ten tracks with a variety of defined vibes that all sound purposeful. The chemistry is fire, I still jet through its thirty five minutes feeling flabbergasted. This is a example case of quality over quantity. There isn't a moment wasted on this superb record, I'm still engrossed within it but had to write!

Favorite Tracks: Boss, Selfish, Venom, Therapy

Rating: 9/10

Alice In Chains "Dirt" (1992)

Dirt is one heck of an iconic record. It kicks of with a frightening scream as an eruption of tempered guitar chugging kicks off their most famous song, Them Bones. It jumps straight into gear, a mastery of atonal riffing as the chilling lyrics about ending up as a big old pile of them bones rock the chorus with a morbid honesty. The grungy dark metallic tone is set and Staley will go on to haunt us with some despairing lyricism and chilling performances on this record. Released later in the same year as Sap, the Seattle grunge giants Alice In Chains return with more Metal inflection and a leaner iteration of their unique identity established on their debut Facelift.

After a lightning start the album rolls into a slick run of songs. Tight guitar grooves stitch together beautiful eruptions of Staley's infectious singing. He soars above with the albums best hooks in its opening numbers. He is illuminating but on inspection a lot of darkness emanates from his harrowing words. Getting past the aggressive riffing of Them Bones and Dam That River we start to slip into moodier atmospheres, culminating with the frankly depressing Down In A Hole. It is a beautifully sad and hopeless song. Sickman offers more wounded lyrical fragility as some choppy metallic riffing shuffles its way in and out of an eclectic song. Its defeatist, the "what's the difference ill die" lyric so disheartening given his demise. Its a theme throughout.

Just when you think it can't get much more interesting the album pivots to anthems as Rooster and Junkhead both play with the mastery of tingling build ups that erupt with iconic choruses. "Here comes the rooster!" and "Whats my drug of choice? Well what have you got?", still gives me goosebumps all these years later. I especially like the guitar solo on the later, a simple complimenting melody to peak the song. Its a classic lead you always find yourself singing along too. With title track Dirt more gut wrenching lyrics and electrifying music is bestowed up the listener. Jerry Cantrell has an absolute arsenal of riffing ideas that keep everything fresh and interesting from start to end as Staley drags us to the depths of his self loathing and despair.

Either side of the Black Sabbath Ironman skit track Ironglad, we have a two tracks you might say are a mediocre records gems. Even as songs you might put at the end of your favorite list they still deploy interesting and unique musical ideas to illuminate them in the presence of so many magnificent tracks. Angry Chair takes a darkened shadowy atmosphere and chops it up, shifting the music between different tones. The album keeps its intensity throughout and end on a soaring high with Would? It again just shows an amazing chemistry within these musicians and Staley once again steals the show with a gift to make is haunted words somehow catchy and infectious. Its monumental, an of the moment album that stands the test of time, bringing together the best of Grunge and Metal and making it their own.

Rating: 10/10