Ihsahn "Ihsahn" (2024)

With the ominous lurch of self titled significance, esteemed musician Ihsahn, formerly of Emperor notoriety, returns on ambitious footing. Forging symphonies of Classical proportion, not just simple complimentary arrangements, we venture with restrained Extreme Metal aesthetics. Throaty screams and heavy percussion pave the way for swells of strings and orchestral instruments to land the powerful impact he would have once manifested through guitars on the likes of an Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk.

With colorful Jazzy inflections and Prog Rock inclinations, these dreary, sombre, atmospheric venture in a tangle between misty melancholic moods and multifaceted, mercurial melodies. Lead guitars often cut through this rich symphonic layer, playing a second expressive voice to the routine groans of Ihsahn's one dimensional cries.

The union of such musical depth and rhythmic force makes for consistent engagement as musical tugs between its two hearts dance a line that doesn't strike sublime balance, often leaning on Metal tropes. Anima Extraneae is a keen example of Classical influences painting scenic beauty without the cage of aggression. These moments are relegated to interludes, however that richness routinely emerges in breaks between the lonely, dark, brooding tangents Ihsahn frequently explores.

When breaking into a stride of glory, the uplift of his steely clean voice is a welcome delight. These pivots empower his symphonies with comforting gleams of colorful resonance, venturing close to something special but never quite fully committing. Despite hearing this inkling of greatness, Ihsahn is a powerful record, brilliantly composed and thoroughly engaging with its vision of dark and beautiful worlds.

Rating: 7/10

Behexen "Rituale Satanum" (2000)

Recently discovering Dimmu Bongir resurfaced a desire for more nefarious Black Metal. Spotify offered me up Finnish outfit Behexen, an act I'd not heard of before. Born in 94, they were clearly a product of cultural export from their Norwegian peers. This debut, Rituale Satanum, essentially encapsulates the next logical progression, taking fundamentals and dialing up the intensity. Its in their ridiculous, over the top vocals that Behexen find an edge, instilling terror though chord shredding screams and gravelly howls that can make your skin crawl. Paired with baritone deliveries of ritual chant, they invoke Satan with a seriousness I can only laugh off in bemusement.

The record is an unrelenting ride of hellish fright, pummeling rattling blast beats and shredding evil atonal power chord arrangements, this plays an atypical experience, delighting in a fiendish execution of wicked ideals. Shadowy melodies shrouded in intense aesthetics punctuate an ungodly mood. Manic bursts of frenzied paced led by ripping guitars liven up the closing tracks. Rare lulls between unending onslaught often come masked by esoteric vocal spectacles to illuminate a sinful atmosphere.

Without directly emulating its obvious inspirations, Behexen gracefully bestow their graven personality. Far from ground breaking but firmly their own beast, only Baphomet's Call plays out vibes reminiscent of the Black Metal pioneers, specifically early Immortal. Its mid-tempo busing is one of my favorite cuts across the record. The production is hard, often peaking with distortion guitars melding into a harsh fuzz. Somehow it works. A tad ridiculous with its thematic over the top embrace of satanism but then again isn't that the point? Worth a listen for fans of early Black Metal.

Rating: 6/10

The Madd Rapper "Tell Em Why You Madd" (1999)

First surfacing on Life After Death, Producer Deric Angelettie's agitated alter ego has appeared on a spread of Bad Boy records. The frustrated character, running his mouth, serves well to sprinkle comedy between the music. Having laid the groundwork for this debut, it could have been something special. Instead, skits and jokes land flat, unable to flesh out his personality to comedic effect. So to do the Madd Rappers' verses lack a spark to muster humor. Unless this persistently irked personality is your comedy gold, the joke will get beaten to death across its CD filling seventy minutes.

Its clearly ambitious, bringing a massive array of guests beyond his record label peers. Featured routinely come armed with slick mafioso adjacent lyrics, painting flamboyant lifestyle pictures with their lyricism. It sands in stark contrast to the central theme. Eminem however, meets him at his level, the unhinged Slim Shady persona has the two aligning their lyrics on self destructive energy. Given the date, this flow is a gem for fans, hearing Eminem evolving into his classic Marshal Mathers flow.

Fun fact, a young Kanye West produced that track! Its a rare highlight among an endless string of average bears. Its other merit belongs with 50 Cent on the criminally unabashed How To Rob. Fifty name drops a lot of big names years before his breakout. Other than that, its sadly a missed opportunity to do something unique. Poor execution on a wonderful idea. It seems the last of The Madd Rappers steam was spent on the first Big Boy hits compilation, where his player hating energy musters amusement between the East Coast's record labels greatest songs.

Rating: 4/10

Lil Uzi Vert "Eternal Atake 2" (2024)

Curiosity and novelty handed successor Eternal Atake a generous helping of enjoyment that's dried up on its second outing. A fry cry from the spurious bursts of Metal on Pink Tape, Uzi returns to his bizarre spacey Trap sound, sprinting through routine instrumentals with little regard for songwriting, lyricism or concept.

Fully embracing the "vibeing" approach, songs roll by in a haze of disjointed ad-libs. Spinning short phrases, slang words and physical grunts, a dizzying barrage of often nonsensical aberrations melt away in the colorful melting of auto-tune. Coherence is generally lacking but on occasion a does sentiment makes its mark known.

With a lack of structure, arching theme or story to tell, the record falls short by some distance. Mostly feeling disposable, as if riffed on the spot, little sticks. Although trendy beats play competently, conjuring urban-esoteric moods, the lack of substance upfront sours the tone when Uzi lingers on god awful hooks like "She Stank".

Deep into the flow of dense bass and Trance synth instrumentals emerges Chill Bae, somewhat of a throw back to the Luv Is Rage aesthetic, soft airy synths and Uzi singing plays well as the album seems to pivot into a different beast, mellowing out for its closing tracks but at this point the record feels like a lost cause.

 

Rating: 3/10

Fred Again.. "Ten Days" (2024)

With humble heart and introspective tone, Fred Again.. centers his emotive themes around cherry picked intimate moments. Crafting hypnotic drones, warm and inducing, this Progressive House journey persuades one with its smooth ebb and flow, an organic sway of dreamy intensities. Routinely soothing its way through gentle lulls of calm, the returning blissful swells of energy play to much gratification. Grasping one with the power of rhythm and repetition, a therapeutic experience often emerges.

 

The instrumental architecture is impressive. Steadied by sturdy drum grooves, cliche House pianos and pounding baselines drive the music forward. Subtle, intricate sounds linger between gorgeous reverberations, Ethereal tones and ambiguous voices drift in from the musical backdrop, enriching those words expressed upfront, often lingering on a simple motif, exploring its depth through a songs dynamic arc.

The topicality feels personal, vulnerable, a humanist exploration. Geared around relationships and innate social experiences, a youthful vibrancy emerges from the moments of intimacy explored in its lyrics. Its mostly channeled through his many guests. They voicr nine of these ten songs, with Fred lending his own tender performance for the percussion-less melancholy of I Saw You. It gives each number a unique human aesthetic. Anderson .Paak being a surprise fit I would not of expected.

A variety of flavors and moods lay in wait. Ten Days never repeats itself, playing fresh and vibrant with every spin. The particulars of ones own mood will relate to its differing emotional avenues. For me, the joyous upbeat swells felt in Places To Be and Glow are firm favorites. Peace U Need plays a close contented, often persuading one to its charm with a spiritual union of classic House and Soul tinted by a touch of Gospel.

Despite this apparent excellence and heartfelt sincerity, Ten Days doesn't always engulf. Perhaps its susceptible nature requires room within for the emotions its exudes. Powerful but particular, its shortcoming lies in an ability to transform ones own energy to its frequency. On that ground, there were times I world spin the album and feel distant. On the right days, its beauty would flow effortlessly. This experience however, might simply be my own misgivings. A memorable record none the less.

 

Rating: 7/10

Devin Townsend "PowerNerd" (2024)

 

 

With an extensive discography behind him, its hard for Devin to pull new punches but PowerNerd succeeds in delivering his unique expression after a lull. Its actually been five years since the all encompassing Empath. This latest venture is fun, upbeat and mildly comical yet always drifting to emotive swells crescendo by Devin's screams.

His distinct "wall of sound" production is refined as ever, somehow finding new ways to polish an already squeaky clean machine. Many of its main motifs drift by with subtle glistening synths twinkling in the background. It births a rich yet softened cloudy atmosphere, balancing the intense inclinations of Metal with a warm resonance.

Jainism is my favorite track, its metallic grooves push this mold to its edges, as do the swift pivots into dreamy drives. These magics are amplified by luscious pulsing synth melodies, subtle, yet sometimes its a small detail that can add so much. Many songs have mild synth tones and piano notes lingering in the quiet, sparking a wiff of charm.

The totality of PowerNerd is so befitting of Devin that all its themes, riffs and lyrics play with a touch of Deja-Vu. As such, it doesn't project its own identity but encompasses much of his prior works with the back end of the record venturing into his quirkier side. Entertaining, fulfilling and instantly relatable, its been a warm, welcome return.

 

Rating: 7/10

Cordae "From A Birds Eye View" (2022)

 

Avoiding the pitfalls of a sophomore decline, all to common in Hip Hop, Cordae returns armed with emotive beats and hardened attitude to deliver his message. After an endearing debut, our young rapper matures with a flash of braggadocio and seriousness as he sheds some youthful innocence previously heard. Renewed topicality lands closer to street violence and status affirming rhymes, taking aim at critics between stories and expressions that rock off moody instrumentals.

Excellent production by Kid Culture and collaborators bring soulful touches to easy tempos driven by subdued drum grooves. Driven by bold, powerful baselines, low key Jazz influences linger under its calm stature, carving a smooth atmosphere to enrich Cordae's rhymes. At intervals these instrumentals pivot to trendy Trap sounds, notably the popular tracks. They break a smooth flow of complimenting aesthetics.

Cordae teams up with Lil Wayne and Hit-Boy on a brilliant number where he affirms the heights of his successes and intentions to stick around for years to come. The chorus lands so well. Stevie Wonder also crops up among some other big names but It is mostly Cordae himself who continues to charm as a story teller, wrapping one in his narratives, holding a firm grip over this listener. A tricky task after decades of Rap.

Rating: 7/10

Tycho "Infinite Health" (2024)

  

This release marks a significant return to form. Recapturing the blissful breezy magic once felt on Dive, Californian producer Tycho seems to of found his unique summery vibes again. After a string of mediocre records, exploring unfruitful directions, we return to the soothing chilled out Downtempo charms of his landmark debut.

Indie guitar tone licks and colorful exotic saw synths entangle within a gorgeous production. Instruments come lavished in glossy reverberations, swelling with the musics momentum. Gradual builds of feel good energy pivot into salient melodies. Simple, easy and effective, often infusing brief repetitious grooves in their cadence.

 The percussion is class. A fraction Drumstep in tone with Downtempo intensity and plenty of variety in instrumental tones, Its unafraid of lulls and winding down. Its involvement is dynamic, ebbing and flowing with the overall vision, ready to step into the big clap kick grooves to emphasis a songs main stride and momentum.

Most of the potent melodic magic takes place within these firm rhythmic sways. Colored guitar licks have a habit of striking through the dense dreamy electronics like a human voice. Chanting simple mantras by jostling a handful of notes, its rarely a complex affair and its simplicity revels in the aesthetic chemistry. Its cloudy atmospheric layers border Ethereal at times, always nurturing breezy, clam energy.

Infinite Health brings out the best of Tycho again. Unfortunately, it falls short in consistency. Between well built songs drift in milder tracks exploring interluding temperaments. These toned down arrangements tended to dull the momentum, lacking percussive drive and a sense of destination. Its best songs are a delight, so not all is lost! There is plenty of feel good warmth to be enjoyed here.

Rating: 6/10

Dimmu Bongir "Dark Medieval Hash" (2024)

 

After running the For All Tid playbook, our comedic stoners return with an incremental progression on the nostalgic 90s sound I adore. Muddying up the parody, Satyricon's debut takes thematic focus in name and cover art alone. With Dark Medieval Has, these musicians start to express their own ideas. Chunky distortion riffs and majestic keyboard melodies not so easily identified, emerge from the evil dusky aesthetic. 

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, little surprise awaits in construct or design. We essentially embark on another dark venture through the mystical imaginations of these rebellious Norweigns, inspired by paganism, the occult and merciless frozen forests.

Certain songs hit harder than others. Pipens Åpenbaring has a wonderfully esoteric synth melody at its opening. With a rather ambitious climax, the song amasses rich sinister organs. Along its way, a Spanish acoustic guitar is introduced, much like Old Man's Child once incorporated its brittle tone to the Black Metal architecture.

A Witch Is Stoned wins the "best song" competition. A clear favorite with a powerful, magical, mischievous synth hook. The keyboard riff toys with low to high dynamics reminiscent of Dimmu Borgir's Spellbound By The Devil. Its guitar solo, intentionally jarring, scratchy and shrill, also feeling reminiscent of that landmark record.

Dark Medieval Hash has been a blast but also shows this band can do more than just emulate. I hope they continue to expand on this nostalgic revival and perhaps venture into new terrain from that different point in time. If they simply continue with this formula, I will be entertained either way. Great stuff!

Rating: 7/10