Cannibal Corpse "Red Before Black" (2017)

You shouldn't think of this as a musical "review" of sorts, this blog is about the musical journey, exploration, discovery and how my relation with Death Metal's most infamous band most is surely exhausted. Approaching thirty years as a band they have offered up classics, stinkers and a fair amount of variety but they and both the genre seem to be stagnating from an evolutionary perspective. Stylistically its the same formula, approach and brutal mindset repeated year after year, failing to make it feel exciting or adventurous anymore. Given my disappointment with "A Skeletal Domain" I was going to pass this one by, that wouldn't of been a bad idea.

I first put the record on during a very adrenaline fueled mood. The bludgeoning pelt of the drums racing along, the thunderous menacing roar of visceral shouts howling at their victims and the blistering, razor sharp distortion guitars shredding carnal madness had me head banging like a loon. To good to be true? Mood can always effect an experience but it only took four or five tracks for the intensity to die down as it became monotony. My absence to this sound gave me a rush of excitement but once that settled and the record drew on, the business as usual reality came to be so.

Red Before Black edges forward again with a slightly more intense sound than its predecessor. Everything a little tighter, more intense and kudos to Corpsegrinder for somehow maintaining that inhuman roar through the years. The music is technically cutting, littering the album with all manor of intricate riffs and challenging music but its all packaged within that same Cannibal Corpse intensity they refuse to let up from. Tempo changes and slightly "expansive" twists are always chained down by the identity they have stuck by relentlessly. Whenever a moment comes that it might sound like the song could open up, or go down a new avenue its always pulled back to that blast beat led pummeling that has become utterly boring for me.

I'm glad I enjoyed it for a brief moment but past that first listen its been nothing but a slug of unexciting brutality that feels so pointless in the bands decision not to challenge themselves or move on from what they perfected years ago. Even though I love this sort of music, there is only room for so much before it becomes hard to get into anymore. I wasn't expecting them to move forward and I got exactly that, the only positive I can give them is the production, probably their best aesthetic to date.

Rating: 2/10

Gothminister "The Other Side" (2017)

Ive always had a soft spot for this unheard-of Norwegian outfit. Fronted by the distinct face paint baring Bjorn Brem, they would typically tick some of the wrong boxes on paper. Their breed of "festival rock" style Industrial Metal has those big stage tropes. Simple and plain lyrics shape overly dramatic themes for pumping up a crowd with easily sung along hooks packaged into Pop Metal song structures. Despite these observations I find myself getting caught up in their world, the music itself strikes a chord a chord with me, compensating greatly for some supposed shortcomings.

The Other Side is their sixth full length in nearly two decades as a band. 2008's Happiness In Darkness was where I joined them and this new release may overtake it as my favorite. A sense of a big arching theme creeps in through unimaginative lyrics that take a literal, descriptive path to build its sense of personal and communal struggle. "Taking Over" is hard to ignore with its tale of a girl who can communicate with the dead, they question her love for her father who's a killing machine and she is creeping death? The whole thing feels like a hash of dramatics coming together incoherently yet I find myself singing along every time, the delivery infectious and easy to pick up. This example is much of what I have to say for this record, the words don't add up but they drop in with power and infectious that elevates the already booming music.

Opening with "Ich Will Allies" the influence of Rammstein becomes so obvious. The pounding militant snare and German lyrics really hint to influences overlooked by the dominance of Trance and Aggrotech synths as a stylistic marker. Gothminister rock hard with the fast, sharp chugging of power chords on crisp distortion guitars that play alongside bustling EBM synth lines, often dropping out entirely in verse sections to let the dark electronics forge the atmosphere. The tight, snappy drum kit whirls away with thumping, repetitive grooves that drive the songs forward and set the tempo in its slower, calmer passageways. The production is strong, everything pulls together, loud and energetic instruments firing together.

At thirty five minutes its short and sweet, all killer no filler. Each song has its edge and across all ten tracks the Pop Metal song structures always lead to climatic choruses with great vocal hooks or power smashing drums, big moshable riffs and bursts of lively, infectious synths. With its theme rooted is the darker sound of Metal an uplifting undercurrent always broods from the synths, creating a satisfying emotional energy culminating from these big outbursts. It has the measure to wind down in some of its choruses and "Aegir" entirely. It makes for a smooth flowing record that burns through its short songs without a dull moment!

Favorite Songs: Ich Will Allies, We Are The Ones Who Rules The World, All This Time, Taking Over

Rating: 7/10

Fever Ray "Plunge" (2017)

I dreamed but never thought it would be so, eight years on Swedish musician Karin Dreijer releases a follow up to her critically acclaimed self titled Fever Ray. In the three years since my discovery of her debut It has grown to be one of my all time favorite records, the sort you have to always consider when making top tens and playlists. Her sophomore Plunge comes entirely out of the blue, a rouge email in my inbox I thought to good to be true but alas it is so. With only a video single released a week prior, this surprise release is more than just a pleasant one.

First impressions were wild, all I could focus on was all that was different. Plunge felt dissonant, avant-garde and ambiguously adventurous with its entrancing electronics. Working with more ambitious, experimental sounds the textural journey continually weaves webs of intricate noise arrangements flailing from Glitch to Electonica, with hints of Industrial in its noisy, less melody driven passageways. The atmosphere shifts and varies from one track to the next, conjuring obscure, spacial vibes that can delve into gentle unease and unearthly sounds with the measure for calm, soothing relaxation. On its other hand these songs can become animalistic, dark and paranoid in their abrasive persuasions.

All of this often revolves around a sturdy backbone of stripped back club and House beats. Hard thuds detached from the conventional pop of a snare and tempo setting hi-hat let the dense instrumental arrangement absorb the attention a club groove would often dominate. A hand full of songs, maybe four to five of the songs feel straight of the back of the last album, utilizing the same bell and siren-like synths but deploying slow and steady kick and snare grooves in contrast to the more polarizing, experimental tracks. "Red Trails" being one of these songs you could slip onto Fever Ray has to get a shout for Sara Parkman's stunningly, morose, harrowing violin solo that seeps itself into the atmosphere like a parasite, eating the song from the inside out, carving its menace through an otherwise chilled, if not dark track. Stellar moment on the record.

The production being of this modern era is unsurprisingly crisp, no thanks to the state of technology but balancing all that heard is done with a touch of class. The record can feel almost clustered in moments with all the rattling of intricate sounds swirling around, from start to end its all managed and put together in a lean and easy setting. Karin's singing is infectious, her unique, estranged voice is unleashed with the wit to spin her expressions into elevating hooks, radiating the music and lodging themselves into your consciousness. Lyrical themes are entwined in sexuality, charged by identity and eroticism, the sometimes coarse but often poetic lyrics rub up against some obviously political statements, see "This Country" to hear unflattering commentary that's hard to ignore.

Ultimately, Plunge is a superb record, little to fault and plenty to rave about, Its an endearing listen. My main point of questioning would be in its two halves, distinctly alike to its predecessor on half the tracks taking a big leap forward in experimentation on its other half we essentially get the best on two worlds. To repeat yourself or be inconsistent on a record can sometimes be a hindrance but neither of these possible considerations seem to matter in the case of Plunge, which will probably go head to head with Sikth for my favorite release this year!

Rating: 8/10

Fief "III" (2017)

A wave of excitement took over as news of the third Fief record graced my inbox. It was the sort of enthusiasm for familiarity that has since been my focal point of thought beyond enjoying the alluring atmosphere of the record. Fief graciously invites us to relax in the luscious gardens of kings and queens, courting in the magical fantasy lands of yonder. It was precisely what I had expected and hoped for, another swooning set of short songs to indulge in. Visions of jesters, minstrels and dancers entertaining their masters in cordial company or a young adventurer, journeying through the forests of friendly creatures and ancient fairy tales, Fief sets the tone perfectly for an ancient world of eternal wonder without worry or fear.

I however find myself distracted by the lack of evolution or expansion in the sound, I am always interested in new sounds, ideas and for exploration into what music can offer. Had I listened to this directly after I and II I may have found myself disappointed but the distance in time has been healthy for my apatite. Fief is executing this idea, this vision with brilliance and there is no complaint on my behalf, I am perhaps all too aware of my own attention span, that eventually I will exhaust this fruitful experience and wish for something new.

For now though I have really been enjoying the immersion into this fantasy realm, pleasant, bright, uplifting and soothing its the perfect soundtrack for relaxing and letting your mind wonder. With no major change in sound it is once again a typical affair of layering lush instruments together with inspired melodies alongside the occasional tambourine shuffling percussion. The songs can build and fall, with up to five instruments singing together at once, and in calmer moments a single lead instrument can path the way, whats nice is the fluctuation, the elevating and calming of songs lets its best melodies charm you when the songs reach their respective peaks. At thirty minutes this is the strongest installment yet!

Rating: 7/10

Metallica "Load" (1996)

 After the monumental success of the self titled "Black Album", the legendary Metallica took five years to find an artistic stride to new territory. Despite them selling multi-platinum copies and bringing hordes of new fans to the Heavy Metal culture, their back to back Load and Reload records have been the mockery of metalhead snobs from then till now. The sad reality is I was once one of them. Thankfully my journey of music discovery has led me to a place where I want to hear what the artist is about and not just what I think will satisfy my taste buds.

Metallica were right there at the formation of my passion for music, my first and still favorite record of theirs, Ride The Lightning, carved my passion for this music and being a young teen with Christmas on the horizon I had a chance to scoop up more. Visiting the local record shop I was captivated by the covers of Load & Reload and picked them as my next Metallica records, so imagine my disappointment not to hear more of that fast, dark and sleek Thrash Metal! Unfortunately that sour first experience and the rarity of encountering fans that liked these records solidified my opinion that they were garbage... I owe a big thanks to the "That's Not Metal" podcast for prodding back to these records, their epic ten hour talk covering every inch of history in detail and heaped praise on this period of the bands history. With the fire stoked again for this band Load has been on heavy rotation and with mature ears I can join them in their praise of a truly excellent musical period for the band.

Where the old guard may moan that the Thrash roots are gone, Metallica have moved on, evolving into a mature beast that channels the energy of old into hefty, momentous grooves and power throttling drives of weighty riffage that erupts among a band expanding their horizons. Broadening their pallet, the four horseman let the sounds of Blues, Country and Hard Rock accent the guitar tones, steady the pace to a strut and shift the "heavy" to the grooving backbone as their new expressions become a focal point. Songs like "Ain't My Bitch", "2X4" and "Wasting My Hate" stick to their guns but the rest of the record flourishes with the new pallet.

Hetfield has to be given major props for his performance on this record. If the riffs weren't hard, thick and jiving enough, his vocal performance soars on many moments of the record with fantastic harmonious deliveries that will have you singing along. His mannerisms, the "ooh"s and "yeah"s reach a new level of infectious attitude and enthusiasm for his art which just pours out on this record, most likely due to turning inwards for inspiration. The social, political commentaries of past are void, with practically every track carrying an introspective edge in his words. Like with the range of energy these songs carry, James matches it with endearing performances, like the emotional, ranged, Country power ballad "Mama Said" to the grit and gusto of the grisly "Poor Twisted Me".

At nearly eighty minutes the album is loaded, mind the pun, by a band producing gold that might of needed some refinement, one or two less favorable songs trimmed, some unnecessary length on tracks too but the reality is the atmosphere and drive Load has keeps its excitement from start to end. Maybe this lost treasure trove from one of my favorite bands is just too much for me at the moment as I haven't wanted to skip by a second of this yet. I think the variety the record offers has much to say, flexing chunky heavy grooves between diversions into Blues and Country let the songs wind into different territories all while maintaining the grit of the biker gang persona that resonates. Free spirit on the road man.

Production wise, we have an authentic aesthetic. You can feel the heat, sweat and sand of dusty winds and hot climates. Lars's drum kit is snappy, sharp and piercing, every strike is heard and his patterns are as always a strong fitting for Hetfield. Kirk and Jason sound somewhat underutilized, his fifteen years in the band leading to a criminal lack of creative input that finds most of the baselines backing the guitar with a warm, thick mirroring in the base that provides a meaty thud when James gets into the heavier riffs. Kirk's solo's haven't left much of a mark on me, his roll is heard emphasizing the accent and tone Metallica are coming from but his leads never overtook the expressions of Hetfield who drives everything forward with his riffs and singing.

If I were to be critical of anything it could never be the artwork, the change in image the band undertook. Metallica aimed to reinvent themselves and that's exactly what musicians should do when it calls for it. Retrospectively I can see how turning the axis on whats of expected of Metal music is so important for the genre to evolve and perhaps their choices here have had unfounded influences on the shape of modern Metal. Its quite the shame that none of these songs grace the live show anymore. This is a fantastic period for the band, evolving their artistic expression and hitting the mark in the process. Now to binge on Reload!

Favorite Tracks: Until It Sleeps, Bleeding Me, Cure, Mama Said

Rating: 9/10

Winds Of Plague "Blood Of My Enemy" (2017)

I checked out from this band pretty much immediately after their attention grabbing debut album had worn out its attention span. After a shoddy demo record the group got signed to Century Media and bolstered the symphonic aspect to their sound, setting them aside from other Deathcore bands at the time. Crunching breakdowns, filthy screams and empiric symphonies collided to form a cheap and flashy sound that would have you for a few listens. Over the years they have become a mockery to critics and this newest release will probably be no exception. Bar founding singer Johnny Plague, a complete line up change could of given the band a chance to evolve but its business as usual, the same music they were making a decade ago.

Blood Of My Enemy isn't awful but its constantly swirling in mediocrity where moments of chemistry found between the tight chugging guitar and rich orchestral synths are continually dispelled by the arrival of Johnny's tone deaf vocals and impact-less gang shouts. Its a solid sounding record where the modern production gives room for the instrumentals to vibe easily in their audibility. Crisp, snappy drums drive the rounded guitars which deploy a variety of riffing styles stretching from choppy thrashing, to mid tempos grooves and slower chord led passageways. The synths bring cultural echos and atmosphere fit for epic battles as they stitch in sounds around the guitars direction, occasionally coming with Gothic tones that accent and expand the sound otherwise not heard.

On there own we would have a reasonable record but like with their debut there is something about Johnny Plague I just don't vibe with. His scream is always fretting on the same anger with a lack of range or inventiveness in his delivery. A lot of shifts and turns hinge around his break out screams and gang shouts which continuously dispel any charm the instrumentals where building. His lyrical style focuses entirely around the "life is war", "stand your ground" hardened mindset heard in Hardcore music but the constant grotesque swearing and obsession with pairing it to actual war leads it into the unfortunate territory of "cringe" lyrics given his committal to lines like "I will give my life on the battlefield, drowning in the blood of my enemies". Simplistic language, a lack of depth and turning the same idea over and over tires instantly.

There is merit in the instrumentals but the whole vocal aspect is awful. A guest feature on the title track shows how much better this could be with someone else, I believe the voice is Courtney LaPlante formerly of Iwrestledabearonce who elevates the song. This record is massively hindered by its lead member, who is employing the same ideas that faded away ten years ago. There's more shuffled and rearranged breakdowns running on empty, sounding flat and lackluster when they jump into a song. Poor record, doubting I will be back again.

Rating: 3/10

Drudkh "Microcosmos" (2009)

I enjoyed the Ukrainian bands latest release Somewhere Sadness Wanders. Intrigued by their dense, stoic sound I turned to what some fans say is their finest moment, the seventh album, Microcosmos, which I unfortunately didn't find a connection deserving of such praise. My experience of this record is mostly mediocrity with an exceptional moment of soaring epic between a hardship of forms broken by a raw, visual Slavic folk instrumentation in the acoustic oriented moments that interlink long passageways of thick, grisly guitars that span four lengthy ordeals.

Moody cold winds, overcast skies and vast forests stretching the mountains as Drudkh capture the bleak yet beautiful side of Eastern European countrysides with their thick wall of tonal noise. The ever present drone of dense, chromatic guitars haze over clunky, muddied baselines as the drums do an industrious job of holding it together with on a kit that rattles and rumbles as if its bursting at the seems, ready to fall apart. Singer Thurious snarls and shrieks in his native tongue at regular measures with a helping amount of reverberation that bleeds his shouts into the fog of guitar distortion.

The songs grind and groan as unapologetic riffs carry the burden of continuing forward on these nine minute plus epics. They carry a hardship as bluesy woes cry from the harmonization buried in its tonal thickness. No flashy tricks, or stunts shift the music in unexpected directions or uplift the weight, "Ars Poetica" finds respite in the rumbling of a gentle snare drum alongside a folk like acoustic plucking as the song rests its tired feet for a moment. Its a continuous journey of hardship with only the occasional break for something a little more excitable, the albums longest song "Decadence" drags us through the dark to the eight minute mark for a gleaming moment of triumph and relief as the song reaches a satisfying peak with its soaring riff of victory.

Flashy electric guitar solos arise in short bursts on these songs. With a more conventional tone and flair they seem a little out of place however one can hear that's not what the band were going for. They have sorrow, grief and pain in their call but the tone feels unequal to the music and they stuck out like a sore thumb for me. The atmosphere this records holds is strong and rigid, vivid and engulfing but its wasn't quite to my taste, it leans to far into the struggle with not enough rest from the ruin.

Favorite Song: Decedance

Rating: 5/10

Cradle Of Filth "Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness Of Decay" (2017)

The twelfth chapter of Cradle's legacy has been unleashed with another upturn in form that feels almost bizarre for Danni Filth's band who for the first time in their twenty six years release consecutive records with the same lineup of musicians. Hammer Of The Witches received a lavish amount of praise that I was equally impressed with, yet surprised to hear them turn it around after decades of patchy releases since their best output back in 1996. With Cryptoriana I again find myself taken back by how little there is to fault here, the real disappointment is in the familiarity of their sound, after fifteen years as a fan their isn't much of a surprise or freshness left.

Cradle don't venture much beyond their comfort zone, the guitars usher in the occasional thump of groove or tinges of Post-Metal in shredded tremolos but otherwise they stick to their guns. Eight tracks of solid songs around seven minutes play like back to back mini epics, well constructed songs with plenty of twists and turns, returning melodies and theatrics that end in satisfying conclusions. This lineups chemistry pulls together the best of their musical ideas, flushing out the mediocrity and settling for nothing less... for the most part, it has to be said the last two songs do drag a little in comparison.

They might be executing the same ideas heard plenty times over in their old records but the quality is undeniable, tight performances executed on a crisp production sounds gorgeous. It may be aesthetically pleasing but its true charm is in the inspiration. Genuine and passionate, the gleam of romanticized gothic melodies weave these songs together between there wanderings into the darkly shadows that manifest in metallic mania. Theatrical, vivid and bold each so is an adventure waiting to be known! Everyone gives a fantastic performance and the result is arguably their best in nearly two decades! I do however hope in the next release they could experiment a little! Cradle's defining sound has barely evolved a fraction over the years.

Favorite Tracks: Achingly Beautiful, Wester Vespertine, The Seductiveness Of Decay

Rating: 7/10

Wolves In The Throne Room "Thrice Woven" (2017)

Hailing from Olympia Washington, the Weaver brothers offer us their sixth full length release since forming the band back in 2003. It is their first Black Metal release in six years given that their last, Celestite, was an electronic astral ambience piece and is also the only record of theirs Ive heard before this one, so I go into this one with fresh ears and an appetite for the rich and soothingly dark atmosphere in store.

Thrice Woven hasn't formed a particular vision in my mind, instead different shades and tones illuminate the passing of time as the temperate becomes tempered into different forms. Although the shifts in sound have some flow, they measure against one another with distinctions that remind me fondly of other artists. "Born From The Serpant's Eye" has echos of Panopticon with its folk like undercurrent, resonating in the buried, sombre melodies that have cultural inflections. That opening passage transitions into traditional darkness, shredding fast riffs under pummeling blast beats before breaking for a quieter, calmer interlude. Eventually it finds its way to the passing of sludgy, mammoth guitar riffs wailing demonic groove under a howling scream of evil, a real highlight in the record.

Consisting of five tracks, the flow disrupting interludes really make it feel like a couple of songs were unnecessarily stitched together although the lyrics may offer some context there. The featuring of sublime female vocals in two melancholy interludes have such a spellbinding quality that the records angle is transformed entirely in these moments as we are lifted from the darkness to another realm of beautiful moonlit wonder. "Angraboda" has this interruption too, although made memorable by an awful inclusion of guitar feedback, it cuts into an eerie silence marked by a lonely melody similar to that of Burzum before returning to Metal, bouncing a slow plodding riff between a colossal scaling riff that ascends with median blast beats. "The Old Ones Are With Us" again has a familiar distinction, its opening passage with shimmering, lonely melodies reminiscent of I Shalt Become.

My favorite moment comes on the closing track with its utterly menacing "breakdown", half time drums, the crashing of some hideous cymbal screaming away under slow, punishing, sludgy guitars makes for a memorable moment in a record loaded with good music. Unfortunately it doesn't come together with a grander sense of self. All the shifts in tone and intensity don't amount to a bigger picture or even progress with a sense of direction, instead it feels like a string of musical ideas pulling each other along. Its still a very enjoyable record but no one song felt commanding as a whole.

Rating: 6/10

Humanity's Last Breath "Detestor" (2016)

Their name alone gives you an insight to the punishment awaiting. Hailing from Sweden this five-piece outfit push metallic bludgeoning to new insidious lows with a name to stick like a thorn in your mind. It captivates fatality with a simple expression, no need for any repulsive or repugnant language as so many extreme bands go for. The music too will also set them aside from the competition with what Id describe as approaching upon an inevitable "Post-Deathcore", stripping out the worst tropes from the sound and pushing whats left further down the rabbit hole of ruthless pummeling noise abuse.

The five songs that make up this short release do wonders in the immediacy. Deep rumbling guttural vocals, roaring with intensity over disgustingly down tuned monstrous guitar tones making a textural treat of punishing aesthetics to wallow in as the erratic interpolation of split second harmonic squeals and bleeding screeches will have one dizzying in despair. Its technically impressive and proficient but loaded with a dose of groove if you enjoy hearing open string chugs fretted violently in tandem with the swing and sway of grizzly drums, pounding with a vision of utter brutality.

In the long run less of this Djentmare, see what I did there? "Djent" plus "nightmare", sticks in the mind. For all its punishing heavy and sporadic violence, little melody or purpose beyond the obvious emerges. The individual grooves, riffs and guitar work become a shadow of the overall beast. Impressive in its moment but not lasting. In the days Ive been enjoying this, I can't recall a riff jumping back at me or something being lodged in the mind. Instead a couple of impressive ideas leave a mark, like the title track that drops in a wretched, harrowing, shrill scream behind a macabre "break down" of sorts. The scream gives a real sense of a human soul shocked to the core.

The guitars with their mammoth textural tones, gritty, loose and sludgy are so well preformed they are paradoxically tight, sharp and precise too. They make a strong impression whereas the vocals feel commonplace, atypical screams and timings. The drums are very accommodating of the other instruments, always syncopating and doing little to be in the forefront bar the occasional foray into blast beats. Its a bitter sweet record, enjoyable now but not lasting. This band have serious potential but are limiting themselves with the conventions of Extreme Metal and Deathcore.

Rating: 4/10

Kauan "Kaiho" (2017)

Their former release, Sorni Nai, was a riveting listen, an emotional journey of stunning peaks and swerving valleys born from a wealth of inspiration based around the mythic Dyatlov Pass incident. The record is a complete entity that blossoms into a cinematic soundscape, leaving a resounding impression on me that is still unwavering. The Russian five piece are back with their seventh and first self published record, "Kaiho" which has unfortunately disappointed to no fault of their own.

Listening back through their discography the band always had a unique, soft and sombre tone, slightly cultural but distinct and melodically persuasive. Over the years the Doom Metal tropes of snarly, guttural vocals and slow, sluggish distortion guitars, heard on Lumikuuro, gave way to the lighter, artistic, richer sounds of Post-Metal which heavily complimented their melodic side. Its wasn't uncommon for these tropes to subside entirely, in fact the majority of their music has mostly been made up of the "clean" passageways which this album naturally embraces with a move away from its Metal roots.

"Kaiho" is the heart of their melancholy put out to bear. Long drawn out movements of sorrowful strings and soft airy synths paint the glorious, yet gloomy atmosphere for vulnerable singing and delicate melodies to play out. Its pace is temperate, treading on ice as every song drops with the softness of snowfall in a setting of pure ease for the listener. Everything is calm, soothing and gloriously relaxing with plenty of room for introspection and reflection as this serene sombre takes hold.

For all its slow and delicate, beautiful composition, every song is meandering, wandering without direction. The lack of urgency or event steadily drains it dry as the album draws onward without a sense of meaning or story, little feels unfolding or even heading anywhere and so the subtlety and softness fades from focus and each song feels like a point without destination. Only "Kasvot" musters a sense of something grand ironically from shimmering Post-Metal guitars resonating with the airy synths. Its a rare moment for the record as most the guitars are slowly plucked acoustics, any distortion found is heavily buried under already gentle instrumentation. Aesthetics, mood and tone are spot on here but the lack of event or direction, change in pace or upturn in mood has this record seeping out of focus, leaving each song feeling like the last.

Rating: 6/10

Erang "The First Age" (2017)

The vast and rapid output of Erang continues, a man with an unwavering inspiration for the vision of his kingdom brings us another installment, the forth this year? Seventeen in total? I'm loosing count but alas, The First Age may suggest a return to roots but his evolution as a composer sounds aroused and fertile on a handful of songs littered among a cast of temperate mood setters. Years of experience have blossomed into a craft for intertwining layers of simple melodies on reverberated instruments that hits home every time, commonplace yet spell bounding in the right mood. The First Age is memorable for its strongest tracks which jump of a track listing that doesn't stick to one direction.

A loose concept of returning is presented with the albums titles and knowledge of the various ages within the kingdom. Album opener "1986" has Erang narrating a diary entry under the downpour of soft rain as an industrious click clack bustles away on the typewriter. As his entry draws to an end a storm erupts, leading us on a retroactive journey, replaying clips and soundbites from past records as we swirl through a portal of sound, ending on the first Erang song "Another World, Another Time".  The concept of returning to the origin is explained but thrown off balance as a couple of tracks, notably the gloomy yet enchanting tones of "All Kings Must Die" & "Everything Is A Lie", deliver the ancient wonder of more traditional Dungeon Synth sounds, both their aesthetics and theme strike close to the classic Trolldom by Lord Lovidicus. Its found again later in the record but Erang's inclination to richer, luscious sounds has the vibes expanding into different crevasse.

"Birth Of A Shadow" hits a ghastly, dark note as graveyard bells ring out over a fog that creeps in as the night falls and we fall witness to harrowing screams and roars emerging from pain over the mischievous chanting of bells. Its cinematic, gripping, the music paints a scene to embellish in, one of his best. Followed by "La Nuit Noir" we change direction with another wave of inspiration as a stunning piano piece cries out its burden of mortal agony on crimson chords. Its lead hand far more developed than usual, given fluidity to break to conventional loops that dominate the music.

For me the record is marked by standout tracks, "Escape The Lonely Madman" another that needs mentioning for is slow and grueling of withering dread that collapses into ancient eastern cultural sounds that has one envisioning trade and travelers indulging under the desert stars, the shimmering of fires lighting their midnight engagements. The best of this record seems to be pulling from different sources and I'm not sure how I feel about that, the opening sets it up to be a nostalgic rewind which I didn't feel past a few tracks, on the other hand its an excellent set of songs where Erang continues his progression as an artist, yielding more fruits of the labor than ever. On a final note I just have to say the synth in "Unmasking" very similar to the Concrete Jungles game soundtrack, took me a while to make that connection, very similar synth instrument, had to boot up the game to confirm it.

Favorite Tracks: All Kings Must Die, Escape The Lonely Mountain, Birth Of A Shadow, La Nuit Noire, Unmasking The Dead Oracle.

Rating: 7/10

Marilyn Manson "Heaven Upside Down" (2017)

There's little bad to say about Marilyn Manson's tenth record. I could get critical and say it gets off to a moderate start but as the wheels get spinning, they don't slow down! Best known for his culture shock records Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals, Manson has seen a steady decline in recent years that got turned around with The Pale Emperor, a change of pace, an introspective artistic piece that turned his observational musing inwards. I was sorely disappointed at first, "Heaven Upside Down" was not continuing in that direction but with each passing listen it grew on me substantially. He may be approaching his 50s but the fire for his breed of intelligent rebellion still burns bright in this fellow.

The most obvious comparison for this change of pace is the Antichrist Superstar era. The vibes, instrumental aesthetics and attitude is similar in many spots with a helping dose of anger and aggression. His poetry is witty, sharp as a blade with cutting lines like the opening "fuck or fight" on "Jesus Crisis". I could make lists but this is Manson, his reputation needs no examples, hes on his best game here with cracking lyrics that turn in on themselves as the words unfold. His ability to write and deliver hooks elevates the instrumentals as you'd expect them to do but always catches you off guard.

Instrumentally things start off aggressive with crunching guitars leading the songs. Dirty, Industrial thumping riffs on steady repeat. "Tattooed In Reverse" experiments with gritty, buzzing baselines and sharp, often shrill oscillating synths for a rattle house of dystopian blues. "Saturnalia" Is the turning point, the music becomes expansive with echoes of The Pale Emperor distance the aggression for spaces to breath in as the moods start to flow. Its as the album winds down from its aggressive start that I find myself captivated, Manson's chemistry with his band mates seems to electrify as his performance resonates with lyrics carrying the burden of dramatic emotions.

This albums flow is a strength played to. It starts with a bang to lure you in and steadily evolves into a much deeper record. The density of the instrumentals, aided by rich electronics, plays to the versatility Industrial music can provide as the songs collectively share a space with quite a variety of textures and flavor to throw your way. It can shred distortion guitars and find its way to bustling acoustics too without loosing the heretic energy. Everything comes together on this record, the group are on fire and give us the all killer no filler treatment. I will leave this post with a favorite lyric I can't get out my head. "And I tried to look inside you, but ended up, looking through you, now you try to tell me, your not a ghost!".

Favorite Tracks: Say10, Saturnalia, Jesus Crisis, Heaven Upsidedown, Threats Of Romance

Rating: 7/10

Chelsea Wolfe "Hiss Spun" (2017)

American singer songwriter Chelsea Wolfe has had my ear for a while now. Her stunning Pain Is Beauty has been a standout record in recent memory but like all great artists, she continues moving forward and evolving with each record, which doesn't always yield success. Her feature on the title track of Russian Circle's Memorial seemed like a perfect match, something I craved to hear more of and her last release Abyss gave us that collaboration. Oddly it didn't resonate with me and this newest release, Hiss Spun, sounds exactly like what I hoped that pairing could accomplish. This time Chelsea features Troy Van Leeuwen from Queens of the Stone Age who composes monstrous Post-Metal guitars to bring weight and atmosphere to Chelsea's haunting presence.

With calms before storms we tepidly breathe, recover and anxiously await the lurking dread that's always present. One song after another has us in its grasp of haunting sorrow, and unsettling unease before unleashing the ugly, disturbed, mammoth walls of sound that drown us in its thick, dense and meaty persuasion of sludgy, wailing guitar noise. They bleed at the seems, burgeoning with gritty texture, turning eerie atmospheres to nightmares in there wake. With a swarming intensity the layers of sound flesh out dizzying moods as floods of Post-Metal guitars descend upon the listener in sudden, violent eruptions, sometimes with a little build up.

Chelsea's soft and pain felt voice finds its setting here with familiarly dark and harrowing instrumentals of baron percussion, eerie reverberated acustic instruments and piano chords of dread. Its set to new extremes with truly massive guitar distortions as most the songs find a pace to proceed to an unleashing of dense Post-Metal guitars stacked with sludging rumblings of guitar noise that occasionally have a semblance of groove but mostly thunder away a monotone driving of momentum.

 The chemistry is sublime, when it roars Chelsea's voice transforms from the weak, vulnerable, tortured soul to a fierce, empowered beacon of bitter strength. It comes in measures and always with an ear for aesthetics, her voice often discernible in a ghostly wash of reverberation. The compositions all feel linear, expanding and growing in one direction, taking us on a journey through her pain and inner darkness. A couple of tracks don't feel to dissimilar to previous work, her vocal style showing some boundaries in places as they echo old songs.

Hiss Spun is a maelstrom of noise, numbing you with its bludgeoning rumble of sludge guitars that decimate in the eye of its storm. The shadowy calms between hold us captive as the inescapable approaches. A fine record with vision, stunning execution and little to flaw, possibly her best to date? Id say it comes down to taste, I personally love the electronic variety on Pain Is Beauty but adore the overwhelming experience these forty eight minutes of smothering whisk you into.

Favorite Tracks: Spun, 16 Psyche, Vex, Offering, Static Hum

Rating: 8/10

Prophets Of Rage "Prophets Of Rage" (2017)

Rage Against The Machine are back! This time under the guise of Prophets Of Rage, with Zack De La Rocha sidelined and replaced by Hip Hop legends Chuck D and B Real. Ive been excited for this record ever since Download Festival where I saw them rock the stage playing plenty of Rage classics between a couple of original songs. Their debut EP "The Party's Over" released last year was not to much to rave about but enough to get the hype going and introduce to the new line up to Rage fans.

This record isn't here to throw creative surprises our way, the five are here to give us another dose of that fantastic politically charged sound Rage unleashed back in the nineties. Tom Morello's guitar work has been frozen on ice, unleashing riff after riff of those classic overdriven tones that rock hard grooves to move a crowd and plenty of his fantastic noise driven aesthetics, sounding like a scratching DJ on the decks during his solo's and fleshing out the tracks with flavorful flashy sounds.

The chemistry of the three is essential and they have no problems making it work. The bassist steps up with bright thumping grooves when Morello takes to noise, example "Fired The Shot", amazing duality at work. The loud, thudding drumming is there to turn up the intensity when the big riffs drop in and keeps things lively and moving inbetween. Chuck D is a commanding presence as the front man, his vocal style a perfect fit for the politically minded stance of the band. Alongside him B Real, as much as I love him and Cypress Hill, does sound a little off on a few tracks although he does provide a favorite moment as he lifts LL Cool J's classic flow for an anti-cop statement on "Take Me Higher". That song and "Legalize" do mark a weaker vibe on the record when toning down the traditional sound for something with a more laid back flavor, the instrumentals just don't quite excite the same way.

Its not a consistent record, you can enjoy it immensely from front to back but when it bangs its worthy of Rage's classics. "Hail To The Chief" and "Unfuck The World" simply set the bar to high for other songs on the record, the result is peaks and valleys. The political topics are as to be expected, plenty of food for thought to mull over but the real winner is in the fantastic hooks a couple of tracks drop in the choruses, packing the point into great lines to sing along to at the live shows. Classic Rage is present on this record in full force but only for a few songs.

Favorite Tracks: Unfuck The World, Living On The 110, Hail To The Cheif, Fired A Shot, Who Owns Who

Rating: 7/10

Enter Shikari "Take To The Skies" (2007)

Its unbelievable to think ten years have flown by but that's life. "Take To The Skies" is the unleashing of our local band Enter Shikari onto the world. Ive seen this band go from the school down the road to headlining festivals and this album is a personal one, loaded full of fond memories and strong emotions. It was a big event, we got to see some of their pivotal shows around that era including their Download performance of the same year in the big blue tent which was absolutely rammed and loaded with mosh pits.

It's no masterpiece but a personal triumph for fans of Enter Shikari, a band you can truly adore if they push your buttons. "Take To The Skies" had no surprises, the culmination of their best songs from years of utterly relentless touring are polished and fined tuned alongside three or so new tracks. Its all glossed up with album quality production and a reworking of the electronics to flesh out all their songs with which raving synth lines that bleed into the interludes lined between a handful of tracks.

In retrospect the lack of subtly on this record is a charm the band would grow with time to gleam upon. The raw fusion of Hardcore throw downs and rampant rave electronics is undeniable in the wake of their youthful energy and inspired charisma. Its never gotten old, the fantastic chemistry to create energetic, uplifting and fun music with a real backbone of feeling and lead them into explosions of aggression with grooving beat downs and guitar chugging breakouts that would always get a crowd moving. Seeing the path they have taken, it becomes apparent how simplistic some of the compositions are but Shikari pull it off with a stroke of inspiration that you cant criticize given its authenticity.

The albums flow is flawed, It gets of to a wild start with fan favorites and two new tracks then the interludes break up the flow and the second half unwinds at a different pace, leading to the fantastic "Adieu" with would showcase the genius to expect of this band leading forward. It ends with the explosive "Ok, Time For Plan B" after its infectious build up, a great choice to end on before the closing tracks echos of the albums opener. It gives the record somewhat of a compilation vibe given the attachment of knowing most the music before its release and I'm not sure if the interludes were an attempt to create a bigger picture with the record as a whole but I never felt it succeeded in doing that, if it was the intent.

 Its the music that's wonderful and the years gone by make me realize how foundational they were as songwriters then. Singer Rou's screams and shouts are so fitting of the scene at that time and stylistically raw. The synths are accents of the tone, not woven in but aligning with the music and in many cases leading it. The beat downs are again atypical of the scene yet executed with an edge of creativity and always in the direction of the music, never rumbling out of nowhere and always feeling like an essential part of the music. Its truly fascinating and speaks volumes to the music these guys would write with their currently best record "The Mindsweep".

I adore this record and trying to be objective I wouldn't consider it a classic but on a personal level the nostalgia, adventure and fun of the time are deeply connected to the music and Shikari will always hold a special place for all the amazing memories. I think even back then we knew this band would be special forever to come. I little gutted now I missed the anniversary show this year but I will see them soon and forever be revisiting this wonderful record. On a final note I think its fitting to point out this record was an independent release on their own record label and their DIY ethic speaks volumes to the passion they have that you can hear running through this album.

Rating: 10/10

Drudkh "Somewhere Sadness Wanders" (2017)

Many years back in my early days of Black Metal discovery I remember Drudkh as one of the first bands I heard branching out from the traditional aggression and satanic oriented sound. Perhaps with a strong influence from Burzum their journey into low fidelity textural guitar distortions brought about a sense of naturism, atmosphere and natural beauty. At the time it was a really odd experience but Id never stuck with the band despite holding them in high regard, they just slipped my mind at the time. All these years later I tune into there latest EP and I'm greeted with a reminder of how we learn music, the textures, melodies, structures and inspiration. This was once a challenging band for me, yet now its a welcoming pleasure. Drudkh are a Ukrainian band who formed in 2002 and have since released ten full lengths and this is the latest of six EPs.

Opening with "All Shades Of Silence" we are hurtled into an immediate wall of sound, thick and textural with shrill melodies bleeding from distortion wrapped in the thunder of blast beats and driven by a pounding baseline. In rather primitive yet effective song structuring this drone of darkness breaks to reveal the light with a shift to another short repeated section of dual guitar work, scaling tremolo picking and churning power chord ripping working off one another in tandem. These simple shifts lead the song into a stark and bleak minimalist composition on the keyboards, a cosmic glimpse as astral synths draw out their spacious tones over a buried, mysterious clicking. In its final phase the song finds its way back to a far more expansive Black Metal tone with Post-Metal guitar leads and an adventurous baseline rumbling up and down the fret board. Its a song that conjures an Ethereal setting, rich in atmosphere, with the harsh contrast of mother natures cruelty through ripping guitar distortions. The second song is more of the same, big blocks of arrangements on repeat, changing up every minute or so, shuffling back and forth and around the five minute mark jumping to an excellent climatic break with heathen chants over the shift in musical intensity.

The music is fantastic, fast, intense yet soothing, indulgent and wondrous in that typically Black Metal way. The guitar texture and riffs are much to my taste but the one thing I couldn't get out of my mind were the song structures. Each song seemed to play of the shifting of the short sections on repeat. Each had four to five each with some variations that made up over twenty minutes of music. Despite seeming simplistic, its extremely effective! Solid record, I have no excuse now to not give them more attention.

Rating: 5/10

Mastodon "Cold Dark Place" (2017)

Hot of the back of the desert sun soaked "Emperor Of Sand", American Sludge Metal rockers Mastodon bring us four songs I hoped were b-sides from their album released earlier this year. I say that because It has grown on me greatly over the months, Mastodon have the experience and talent to write music with depth that lasts. The same could be said of these four songs however, as the title suggests, they have moved on from the warm summery sound into a "Cold Dark Place", with exception to "Toe To Toes", that song would fit snugly into Emperor Of Sand.

Climate, temperature and luminosity are highly suggestive ideas in music. The record certainly kicks off with a chilling tone, its quaint aesthetics let bustling acoustics resonate of a flute line as the song jumps straight into its moment with earthly singing, the two voices chiming with a catchy quirkiness given the sombreness setting. Its a spooky, ethereal place we drift through with an odd moment of Funk as a upbeat jive manages to penetrate this melancholic place as the song unleashes its guitar solos. The groove is rather reminiscent of CKY given the style of singing and flexing riff beneath.

"Blue Walsh" and "Cold Dark Place" are in the same realm of eerie, dark melancholy without any heavy or blunt metallic riffage. Everything is a tapestry of thoughtful riffs layers to resonate and on the first mentioned song, a rather soothing, relaxing atmosphere is conjured with strong plentiful reverberation on the vocals the drifts over the instrumentals like a graceful ghost lost in memory.

Unfortunately, this is Mastodon and so the spell of our three darker tracks are often interspersed with technically dazzling riffs that scale the fret board with pace but in doing so break the spell of this shadowy, chilling setting. The same could be said of the solos too, when the distortion picks up and the more human Rock elements come to the front, it pushes the sombre setting out of mind. I really have enjoyed this record but its kind of bitter sweet as they don't fully embrace the mysterious atmosphere they create on three of the four songs.

Favorite Tracks: North Side Star, Blue Walsh, Toe To Toes

Rating: 5/10

Septic Flesh "Codex Omega" (2017)

Greek veterans Septic Flesh have been at it since the early nineties and "Code Omega" is their tenth full length release and what a fine record it is! Being relatively unfamiliar with the band I don't know a lot about them bar an obscure EP I happen to really like. They play atmospheric and symphonic Death Metal with touches of other extreme sounds identifiable in the constructs of their sound. The symphonic elements of this record are exceptionally fleshed out, mind the pun. It borders on orchestral as the rich tapestry of music compliments the already high fidelity Metal production.

The band generally arrange the strings and symphonies around the rhythm of thunderous drums that pound tribal grooves in tandem with the monstrous thickness of the distortion guitars. When they are stripped back the orchestration arises to fill the gap and in turn dials it down when the guitars take lead. This rather mechanical sounding approach works ever so well as the melodies, grooves composed compliment each other well and work towards the same overall theme and sense of atmosphere, allowing them to be inherently different and playing to the strengths of whats needed in the progression of the songs.

The majority of these songs unfold like epic battles, the sirens of war call out alongside the crushing onslaught of chugging guitars and battering blast beats. Singer Antoniou roars his deep growling guttural words like a battle cry. Climatic break outs and shifts in direction create a true sense of direction as they spark the imagination to what events are unfolding in this cinematic experience. Its not all brutality and bludgeoning, bursts of light creep in as breaks to melodic lead sections are graced by the capable and authentic clean vocals of guitarist Vayenas.

There is little to falter, fantastic, sublime production brings crisp and bright instruments together in an extreme setting. My only complaint would be the occasional lack of charm, "Faceless Queen" chugs out a monotone syncopated groove with an incessant jolting of strings. It makes its point, creating a state of immanent fear and danger but does so with blunt force and a few other moments like this felt like the craft slipped for a moment. Otherwise its a sturdy collection of songs with the acoustic guitar lead "Trinity" closing the album on a throwback to the "Eldest Cosmonaut" EP I am fond of. This is probably because its the only other record of theirs I know!

Favorite Tracks: Martyr, Enemy Of Truth, The Gospels Of Fear, Trinity

Rating: 7/10

Public Service Broadcasting "Every Valley" (2017)

Its been a couple of years in the works but the London based trio Public Service Broadcasting are back with another unique work of interest revolved entirely around the decline of the coal mining industry of Southern Wales. The outfit bring together gleaming atmospheric Post-Rock and soft guitar grooves with subtle electronics for their own brand of calming music that straddles the lines between the forefront and background of your attention. Its a sweet spot to operate where their unique sampling of the archives of British Pathe archives creates an artistic, nostalgic and retrospective narrative for the music to revolve around. This topic couldn't of been more fitting for them.

Instrumentally the record may in some ways seem unremarkable. There is a lack of upfront immediacy or urgency in the compositions, with exception to the alarming, danger ridden "All Out" that plays like a climax of violence. Its mostly laid back, chilled out and generally a soothing experience for the listener as soft melodies and licks resonate of one another. Its in their choice of sampling and guest vocalists that the record comes to life. Under the spell of gentle, peaceful music the stage is set for deep thought as the vocal snippets of miners, union workers and community members tell the tales of their perceived wrong doing, sparking the mind into reflection. Although its focused around the mining strikes of the 80s and the industries demise in general, there is much to be taken away from the wisdom and truths that emerge, perhaps with some intentional parallels to our modern times.

A significant change in approach is the inclusion of guest singers who I suspect may have ties to the history of the coal miners, given native Welsh singing on one track. There traditional singing changes the format somewhat and the women's soft effeminate voices are far more suited for the environment and mood of the record than the males singers. Its a strange quirk but the two men just didn't seem in place with the music. The album itself starts strong with powerful themes and musical ideas however "All Out" is a turning point it never recovers from. After that fiery affair the record fizzles out as its unwinding of intensity looses its ability to captivate. The first half is fantastic however, the second seems to stretch what was initially a bright and welcoming chemistry.

Favorite Tracks: The Pit, Progress, All Out

Rating: 6/10

Satyricon "Deep Calleth Upon Deep" (2017)

Satyricon may not be the first band to come to mind when discussing Norwegian Black Metal but they have their place in its history. Around since the dawn of the 90s as a Death Metal outfit the group quickly switched to the new rebellious sound, releasing a couple of demo's before the scene blew up in the wake of scandalous church burning and murder. After a handful of records some consider classics, the duo Frost and Satyr strayed from the scenes roots leading into the millennium and developed their slower, discordant, somewhat atmospheric take on the music which has never received much critical acclaim but has grown them an niche audience.

Their last release, the self titled, was said to be a real stinker and so I gave it a pass, thus arriving at this new release with pretty low expectations. "Deep Calleth Upon Deep" is a murmuring stroll of a record that wanders through its various arrangements of ideas at a leisurely pace. With little urgency and barely any gusto the duo muster together riffs in a dull and dark setting. The tone is drab, linear and aesthetically rather flat despite a crisp distortion tone. The music is all guitar led and the only apparent chemistry is between the weaving riffs and Frost who throws down uninspired beats in varying degrees of intensity as Satyr wails thin and grisly half screams on queue with the songs tempo.

Monochromatic is the word that comes to mind, this record is narrow and lifeless. In an odd way there is a charm about its one dimensional vision. Something I think a different listener might find get a kick from but for me it was mostly dull bar an occasional moment to perk the ears. Everything here is driven by one guitar track, interlining sliding guitar leads and plucked notes between low end power chords. On occasional its technically impressive, almost always leaning into the unusual and unexpected spectrum of composition but lacking the inspiration to whisk these ideas into proper songs.

In a scattering of moments other sounds enter the music like half baked ideas. Satanic, worrisome operatic chants wobble in the distance with a guest vocal on the title track. The opening of "Dissonant" includes avant-garde trumpet playing buried under the guitars and wherever another dimension of sound opens up its always half committed, taking the wind out of its sails. Disappointing, this record could have been better as it does encroach on a unique flavor and moments of interest but with mainly weak and forgettable tracks it plays like a grey wash of blandness.

Favorite Tracks: Deep Calleth Upon Deep, Burial Rite

Rating: 3/10

Enter Shikari "The Spark" (2017)

I felt an immense disappointment after the first play through of "The Spark", for it was as if the spark itself had gone from Enter Shikari, a band who Ive followed from my local schools to headlining festivals over the past decade. On reflection "The Mindsweep" is an immense record from a band who can sweep you up with their passion and persona without having to write subjectively brilliant music. That record was the moment where their identity found a new level, a musical brilliance that could possibly see it as their magnum opus, it was also my favorite record of 2015.

With repeated listens I found my way into the record and have my finger on the pulse of my initial reaction. The bar had been raised, expectation were high but Shikari make an artistic shift in direction that rubbed me the wrong way. The links to Metal and Hardcore have been severed, distortion guitars, breakdowns and explosions of energy are no more and these were often my favorite moments in their songs. The rest of what we know remains intact but we also hear a fervent shift to a more vulnerable emotive form of Rock that reminds me distinctly of Radiohead. This is especially so on a handful of songs where Rou opens up his voice for an honest softness to resonate over light instrumentation.

You can hear this new direction best on "Airfield" which leads straight into the contrasting "Rabble Rouser", a song that depicts the old Shikari perfectly. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a song left over from their previous direction. Its an electronic party club track with some light, overdriven chopping guitar licks in the build to a where you'd expect to find an explosive break down of sorts. Instead the track never finds climax despite being a solid track. I can't help but feel there is a conscious decision at work to not go down that avenue, even if the direction can still be felt in the music they write.

Change is always welcome, can't expect an artist to spin the same tricks forever but with a step to the side we also take a step back. "The Spark" is a fine record with a plentiful offering of emotionally warm music. Shikari tone down the aggression and flesh out the themes and lyrics of their songs with rich, colorful instrumentation, interweaving many electronic tones with light guitars in an uplifting spirit. "Undercover Agents" may brush up along side the currently popular "woah-oah-oah" chants but where they get excessively catchy and accessible it still seems very authentic and genuine. Given the current state of affairs, Rou's lyrics tackle the events of recent years that have shook many people with poetic turns of phrase that make for captivating hooks and choruses.

As a collection of songs its a fine affair but the flow of the record is somewhat choppy as the tone, mood and intensity fluctuates between and within the tracks. It really does feel like a transitional record for the band however this doesn't hinders the brilliance of these musicians from charming us with another swell of great musical ideas again. It has a fantastic production, a lot more creativity in the percussive department and with less reliance on the guitars they can still muster the sing along spirit that will have you bopping along at the live show! I hope they will grow well into this turn of pace.

Favorite Songs: The Sights, Live Outside, Take My Country Back, The Revolt Of The Atoms

Rating: 7/10

Biohazard "State Of The World Address" (1994)

It must of been around ten years ago that I picked up a couple records from the legendary Biohazard of NYC. I didn't get that far into their music and given their city it should be no surprise to hear they pulled elements of Metal and Hardcore together with a wealthy influence of Hip Hop, something you'd guess I'm dead into. Their thuggish street attitude and hardcore raps lined the Crossover sound with what was to be commonly know as Rap Metal before Nu Metal had yet to happen. Watching Noisy's piece on Post-Malone a segment with the rapper miming the words to "Tales From The Hardstyle" had me gripped, after learning it was Biohazard I have been binging on this record!

This record has a ton of energy, hurtling towards you through the lively guitars ripping Hardcore and Metal grooves on bruising distortion tones. Lined with a crisp and cutting drum kit the stage is set for vocalists Seinfeld and Graziadei to raise the stakes with shouted lyrics and raps, often blurring the lines between the two. Their best flows often cruise over the grooviest sections of riffage in the songs and plenty of gang shouts help bolster the street mentality that can be heard throughout the record.

A couple of tracks really blaze the trail but despite the lively setting and arising attitude a lot of the songs falls back on mediocre riffs that get a little dull after many listens. A couple of odd ideas crop up in the track listing. "Failed Territory" sounds entirely from a different band, an enchanting Spanish guitar leads us into an dark, haunting orchestral interlude that would be more fitting on a Cradle Of Filth record with its dark and illustrious keys clattering echos of Chopin's Funeral Macrbe. The intro to "Love Denied" also stars with dramatic, melancholy keys that might think you were being led into a heartache ballad if it wasn't for a an obtuse guitar solo grounding the theme in its Metal setting.

Both those moments felt out of place but otherwise its a really fun record with a fair weight of heavy topics between empowering strength and mentality focused Hardcore messages. Its been a great re-introduction to them but reading up on the band their prior release "Urban Discipline" seems to be their crowning moment so that's what ill be checking out next!

Favorite Tracks: Down For Life, Tales From The Darkside, Five Blocks To The Subway, Lack There Of

Rating: 6/10

Wiley "Godfather" (2017)

 Grime continues to grow bigger and I'm short of excuses, its about time I dived into another artist besides Dizzee Rascal and what a place to start! Its veteran Grime MC Wiley's eleventh album since his debut back in 2004 and Godfather is clearly the product of a master at work. At thirty eight years old Wiley brings a heavyweight of experience and craft to his rhymes, elevating the style beyond the street swagger and dialectic eccentricity Grime MC's rely on to a place of true substance. There's barely a word wasted across fifty four minutes of filthy banging beats and beefed up energetic raps with plenty to say.

Wiley's voice dominates the record with the sharpest flow and wit but he also brings over a dozen friends to feature on the tracks creating a wealth of variety as they handle some of the hooks and choruses too. Everyone brings their best and the same can be said of the instrumental production, lively, loud obnoxious beats with groove and attitude command your attention. The album vibes on dark and grizzly atmospheres with violent, menacing beats echoing the sound of London's streets. Slick mafioso strings rub up against dirty buzzing baselines and gunshots litter the gaps between sturdy, crisp, hard hitting kits that lay down tight patterns to anchor the rhymes and instruments together on the same wavelength.

Its one banging track after the next, the foot is never let of the gas and Wiley's sharp, concise flows make it easy to follow his train of thought as he slides in plenty of technically gifted trickery, sliding in bursts of double tempo words. Between the boisterous status affirming stances loaded with smart word play a couple of remarkable messages emerge, the story of the come up plays on "Speakerbox" stating the struggle origin artists like Wiley went through to make Grime happen and set the stage for future generations who can now do this without help from record labels. "Laptop" tells a more personal story of the hard work and grind centered around the love of making music on his MacBook.

Godfather scratched itches that modern Hip Hop hasn't come close to in recent memory bar Kendrick Lamar. Although the album is strictly Grime, "U Were Always Great" has a fantastic instrumental reminiscent of Jazz Hop summer time chill outs. Its all positives although a fairly predictable streak of materialism runs through on tracks like "Name Brand" given the fashion culture around the scene. The track "Bang" plays with fire as guest MC Ghetts goes spitting with an overtly aggressive tone that avoids being to much to bare. The strong instrumental holds it together and I'm left walking away from this one itching for more. The question is what Grime record should I pickup next?

Rating: 8/10

Favorite Tracks: Bring Them All, Joe Bloggs, Bang, U Were Always Part 2,

The Contortionist "Clairvoyant" (2017)

Shaking all remnants of their "uber brootal", technical indulgences of past, the Indiana Metal outfit The Contortionist mark their first decade as a band with this new full length that feels like a sophomore release given the dramatic shift in sound that 2014s "Language" brought about. Three years later "Clairvoyant" follows up by shaking the echos of old with barely no screamed vocals and the toning down of distortions to let the musical compositions shine brightly as an aesthetic treat of delicious instruments forming in a union of sound, poised to illuminate expressions and dazzle with melodics.

Being so familiar with its successor, "Clairvoyant" was an instant success, picking up exactly where they left off, it has been an indulging fifty four minutes that continues to deliver even as I listen and write now. After ten or so spins I feel as if I'm just stirring the surface water, the depth of an ocean below unknown. Despite being familiar with the songs, they continue to ooze with aesthetic charm and swells of inspiration as the density of compositions relays the same ideas through all its dimensions of instruments that are gracefully in sync with one another on this rich journey.

The music has a fantastic sense of pace, its progression dynamic and fluent with the contractions its riffs and leads bring about as every twist and return comes with space to breath and reflect. The keyboards play a huge role on this record as the glue that holds the music together, interweaving themselves in the density that lurks behind the guitar led sections and as they break, the keys rise to the fold, moving the atmosphere along between the highs and lows the dense music explores and quite often coming to the forefront with typically Progressive Rock like leads.

Singer Lessard gives a very self indulgent performance, swooning in his own voice he reaches for the subtle, soft and harmonies qualities in his voice and gently pushes them out to the waters. A lyrical dimension is obviously prevalent as the power of some words resonates greatly over top of the instrumentals. Its icing on the cake of a wonderfully atmospheric and indulgent set of songs that take their time to fully experience the magic of their melody without packing it into conventional means. They rather to explore those moments in their illustrious production which is a marvel of sound, getting an utterly sweet and supple aesthetic in a dense environment of energetic instruments that gel together with power and thickness. Its a massive step forward for the group, shedding the now irrelevant screams and metallic guitar moments its predecessor had stitched in. These songs will be fantastic to catch live, which I hope to do so soon!

Rating: 8/10

Souls Of Mischief "93 Til Infinity" (1993)

Five or so years ago I would of adored an album like this. Its clearly got those classic 90s Hip Hop vibes, soulful and jazzy with funky fresh flows. Back then I just couldn't get enough of the scene, Ive listened to so much of it now I'm actually surprised this one managed to get past me. The Souls Of Mischief are four MC's from the West Coast who are part of the Hieroglyphics collective led by Del The Funky Homosapien, who unsurprisingly produces a couple of tracks and features a verse on another track. Despite being from the West Coast, Souls don't rock the G-Funk vibes, in fact their sound more so resembles the East Coast but their streak of uniqueness is both in the technical yet inspired raps and the instrumentals which combine elements of the smoother Jazz Hop with the hype and energy of Boom Bap.

93 Til Infinity is their debut and said to be the groups best, such a common occurrence in Hip Hop. With an abundance of youthful energy and desire to make themselves heard, Souls put together a rich journey of impressions told through the lens of their lively, rugged rhyme styles which stand apart from the crowd. With a majority of smooth sounds drawing samples from Jazz and Funk, the MCs bring contrasting flows that duck and weave with the lyrical dexterity for trading blows between intricate mid sentence rhyme play, flow chopping and train of thought consciousness raps. Its all impressive and at times the flows can get quite technical but one of the group, Opio, has a nasal tone and on a couple of songs the fidelity of the mics used gives it a thin and rasp sound, a slight gripe I have but the point should be the contrast. All four have tones and flows that stick out from the often smooth backing which is its charm, on occasions it can dip a touch to far.

There's no doubt you'll find plenty of favorite lines scattered across the fourteen tracks. At fifty five minutes it does draw on but the group have a lot more to say than the average record. Apart from one or two boisterous tracks and flows it seems as if there is always a point to be made, an observation to be told and it comes through plenty of tricksy flows to show off the groups creativity. The production is somewhat varied to my ears, there's quite a clutter of sampling at work and through the layers a strong vibe emerges however there are a handful of songs where the clutter is a bit much the song gets muddy and some of the samples rub up against each other. The drums however are always sturdy, providing a solid bombastic groove for the flows to align with.

I didn't get deep into this record but a few years back this would of been my addiction. The vibes are on point and the lyrics are continually charming with creativity and originality and I think you could really get into some of the more technical flows that demonstrate multi syllable rhyming ans all sorts of techniques to sink your teeth into as a listener. Its been a fun listening experience, I can totally dig why people say 93 Til Infinity is a classic!

Favorite Tracks: Live And Let Live, A Name I Call Myself, Anything Can Happen

Rating: 7/10