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

City Morgue "City Morgue Vol 1 Hell Or High Water" (2018)

 Hell Or High Water is the debut record by the newly formed City Morgue, a pair of young rappers taking a lot of influence from the likes of the uber-aggressive 6ix9ine, who may be the most commercially successful of these "over the top" rappers. The project caught my attention because of its ties to Metal and Industrial music. The pacey, lively instrumentals deploy FL Studio Slayer guitar tones in the meat of their beats. A gritty, lean distortion fit for their overtly hostile and vulgar flows which are filled to the brim with offense and obscenity aiming insults in all directions. The two have a wild, dangerous energy, scream rapping with a menace that'll get you moving.

On closer inspection much of the lyrics are skin deep and more about trading blows than provoking thought. City Morgue comes out the gate with a firm and consistent aesthetic. Brisk, darkly beats, rocking harsh Trap influenced kits and a barrage of sound effects, shouts, screams and back up cries bombard the listener with a restless energy. Many of the tracks kick of with maniacal laughter, a touch of madness sounding like a deranged person who just escaped from the house of horrors.

Despite leaning into these dark themes the music is mostly fun and grooving. A lot of the beats land on the pulse of the groove and make for some careless crude fun. On occasion they even land a fine hook like the "gave hop" call on top of these disorienting instrumentals that rock disjointed samples, eerie urban melodies and dirty sub-bass noise, rumbling below the kicks of the percussion. The instrumentals are tough and if your not in the mod for fowl lyricism then this can be a tough record.

The duo barely let the foot of the gas with the vulgarities and the delivery style is consistently domineering. In some moments the word slurring trend and ambiguous pronunciation comes into play, its not particularly interesting. A lot of this record is relatively mediocre but in the union of parts something quite unique forms. Potential is the word to take away from this. Improved lyricism, better hooks and songwriting would really further this attention grabbing sound. One to watch for the future.

Favorite Tracks: Arson, Gravehop187, So What

Rating: 6/10

Death Fortress "Reign Of The Unending" (2018)

Reign Of The Unending wont be leaving my playlist anytime soon! Its the American bands forth record and after a matter of minutes checking them out, I knew I would adore this. Many spins later I can confirm my continued adoration. Its brutal, ferociously dark, icy cold and unrelentingly aggressive. Death Fortress resurrects the blistering approach to Black Metal once envisioned by Immortal with their classic Pure Holocaust. A helping of loudness from modernized equipment electrifies the shrouded fidelity. With craft and inspiration they forge six engaging songs to make a riveting and atmospheric thirty seven minutes of plundering abyssal chaos.

 Its first big distinction emerges past the howling shrieks as indiscernible and guttural, abysmal groans blurt out blocks of ungodly low sound into the mix with only their timing and texture to assimilate. Its not deployed often and is a filthy pleasure whenever the monstrosity is unleashed. The avalanche of unrelenting fury that comes with it is electrifying, a torrent of battering percussive force rains down as the drummer works out anger issues obliterating his kit. The guitars shred away frosty tremolo chords with tendinitis educing intensity and shivering tonality. It all blurs into that engulfing bestial fury of the most extreme degree, Black Metal at its finest!

Death Fortress really understand the dynamic of this sound, what little "melody" that emerges through the wall of sound has a fantastic poise of mystique and aggression that conjures an unsettling atmosphere of forbidden magics and maleficent being from worlds beyond our own. Its not all relentless punishment, the songs develop with varying intensities. Monolith Winter makes a remarkable journey from an ice blizzard start and steadily tones down its blast beats into fill laden grooves as the lead guitar builds a sense of scale that grows and blossoms. The final song Wrath Of God raises the stakes with an epic, dynamic track, bringing out those plucked chords in true Immortal style and a little hint of Graveland triumph too.

Any "lack" of originality flies out the window for the stunning execution on display. The band need not to hide their influences for their inspirations has led to brilliant music. Reign Of The Unending is a class act that revives that incredible energy Immortal deploy. I haven't heard another band even come close to it before. Dare I say they even match it? I struggle to find any complaints on this release, perhaps one or two of its lengthy songs drag their heels but otherwise its been an absolute pleasure to indulge in. As mentioned above this audio torture wont be leaving my ears soon!

Favorite Tracks: Glory To Tyrants, Monolith Winter, Wrath Of God

Rating: 8/10

Pale Waves "My Mind Makes Noises" (2018)

My Mind Makes Noises is a frankly disappointing debut record from this youthful eighties revival band. Its a rather different experience from their promising four track, All The Things I Never Said. The excitement of a young new act and nostalgic vibes stirred quite hype but its weak points, mainly lyrics, never stood out as much as it does on the fifty minutes one has to endure here. Singer Baron-Gracie has the clean cut voice perfect for simple pop songs but the lyrical simplicity is almost painful. Her use of plain observational language, a lack of creative lyricism and heavy repetition cycles through the same bleak teenage relationship topics over and over again. Insecurities, envy, jealous, infatuation and raging youthful emotion froth to the boil on every song. Its just not my cup of tea unfortunately.

Behind her words glossy, squeaky clean instrumentals pump out eighties melodies in dead simple song structures for fourteen songs with little in the way of variety. Its a tolerable experience with gleaming melodies glistening over steady beats and sturdy foundational baselines. They come repackaged again and again with varying degrees of tone but ultimately the same formula. Its little distraction from the self indulgent, aggrandizing lyrics that elevate surface emotions over self reflection or introspection.

Its quite frankly immature and that is fine, Its clearly for a younger audience and I could totally see a young me digging it. The music is tolerable but the lyrics were like an ear worm. I don't think the EP's words were less formed in this direction and thus got away with one but at this point I am not terribly excited about where they go from here. I will probably pick up the next album if its singles show signs of development. Seems unlikely but would be nice to hear this sound go to new places.

Rating: 2/10

Tesseract "Sonder" (2018)

The British Progressive Metal outfit Tesseract have been on my radar since their very inception way back when in the the early naughties. I've caught many a live show over the years and heard plenty of their songs. Its only based on a recommendation from a friend that I gave this new record a proper try and I am disappointed to say I walk away with the same lukewarm feeling I've always had for them. Sonder is their fourth full length but a direct record at a shorter thirty six minutes which made it much easier to pick up and spin.

The band toy with the dynamics of heavy and light. On one hand a glistening wash of beauty, haplessly sways above with clean guitars and subtle airy synths. Its mostly led by the clean, soft and vulnerable singing of original front man Daniel Tompkins. Its counterpart is expressed through mathematic manipulations of groove, chunks of sonic sound pronounced through the bolstered Djent tone. It can be somewhat self indulgent at times when its riffs get a little lost in the counter measure of expectation. Mostly though both elements are dynamic and sway in accordance with one another.

Its formula is laid bare from the get go and a couple of strong opening tracks create quite the excitement as an atmosphere of possibility is mustered in the wake of its balancing act between the beauty and chaos. Dark, guzzling passageways of meaty, moments riffs can drop seamlessly into blissful rest with soft pianos, distant rumblings of mechanical thunder and a cloudy choir chiming in the words draw together. This chemistry plays out in various measures before the record hits a snag.

It seems to start around Beneath My Skin but as the album progresses it feels like the best of this dynamic is behind us and little new is offered up. Throughout it all the singing is gorgeous, bordering effeminate as Tompkins finds a passionate expression in his range. The rest of the music doesn't quite follow and I find myself losing interest as the music meanders in itself with the same ideas drawn out to a disappointing close. Its certainly got a great aesthetic and musical construct but as an album it runs out of ideas far to fast. Even at thirty six minutes its best is less than half.

Favorite Track: King, Juno

Rating: 5/10

Pale Waves "All The Things I Never Said" (2018)

This young band have emerged with much attention for their distinct revival of 80s New Wave, Synthpop and Goth Pop sounds. Echoes of The Cure, Tears For Fears and Dream Pop unite with no particular distinction of something original beyond modern and glossy production. Singer Heather Baron-Gracie has strong, warm singing voice with an approachable range. Her lyrics are some what vanilla with direct language to convey her thoughts and feelings. The simplicity lacks a spark but within the squeaky clean and polished sound it suffices over the dreamy instrumentals.

Big cruising bass lines lay down warm, bold foundations for simple drum patterns to craft snappy grooves behind the attention grabbing glossy guitars and reverb soaked synths that churn out nostalgic melodies. Its held together in a sweetly warm balance of fun and youthful innocence with tinge of sadness and sorrow lurking that never surpasses the bright, uplifting gleam of glossy sounds channeled over engulfing airy synths that fill the spaces between its popping, chirpy melodies.

The records four cuts circle the same waters, making an appetizing listen if you enjoy the first track. Its accolades are to be found in reviving the spirit of and old sound and giving it a modern touch but beyond that their is little remarkable. They execute a musical concept that still works with a bit of love and care. It will be interesting to see where they go from here as this EP is a solid introduction and hopefully a foundation to grow as a band and take this sublime sound to new places!

Rating: 5/10

Toska "Fire By The Silos" (2018)

It should be said that Toska are worth far more than the time and words I put into their records. With the fifteen or more spins I have enjoyed of this sophomore record, there is far more to be unearthed in this organic experience of metallic aggression that straddles the lines of conventional grooving riffs with expansive atmospheres. Much like their debut Ode To The Author its another journey through progressive song structures and Post-Metal soundscapes that stir emotions in quite passageways and erupt with momentous grooves of burly guitars masquerading a sonic prowess.

Its instrumental nature provokes thought and reflection, an album for introspection broken up by surges of head banging goodness. Its play on words, open and closing tracks, hint at a greater theme. For an instrumental record its concepts arise with the title track as vocal samples enter the fold. A mans voice lays out themes of societal and personal struggles, alike a 1984 state, his frustrations are laid bare in abandon.

The theme is resurgent again with its ten minute closer of dark ambience from inside the machine. The flickering of electricity, the hum of mind control, backwards voices and a propagandist message read over the speaker phone. Its a remarkably vivid song full of whispers and conspiracy, a sensory experience and great way to close the record. Ataraxy before it is another piece isolated from the norm, a gorgeously sombre, stunning piano piece to send chills down the spine.

Overall, Fire By The Silos is a fantastic record with a dark commentary of humanity, somehow reaching out through its instrumental scenery, although perhaps not on first listen. Having set a high bar, it leaps into the upper regions with its two tracks that break the norm and end the record with a remarkable imprint to remember it by.

Favorite Tracks: Fire By The Silos, Ataraxy, The Heard

Rating: 8/10

Earl Sweatshirt "Some Rap Songs" (2018)

I've avoided Mr. Sweatshirt in the past, his appearances in Odd Future and with Tyler The Creator turned me off from his style. Earl raps with a very spoken element, his slightly deep voice and walking pace on the mic sound so casual its like lyrical loitering. I'm not trying to hate, just expressing where I couldn't connect with what this guy is doing. However his newest release, Some Rap Songs, gained a lot of clout and made it to several tops lists of the year. Unfortunately it just didn't work for me.

This record can definitely be described as Avant-garde, or given merit for its experimentalism. Every track can be split into two elements that lay its concepts bare. On the lyrical front we have Earl sleepwalking his words through loose strings of free association and train of thought expressions that in brief moments muster visions, insights or food for thought. Mostly it comes off as lethargic and sleepy, his energy is mute, very civilian and little of his rhymes stir an emotional response. Each track just drones on by with the same tone. After a fair few spins even familiarity doesn't tip the scale for Earl as an MC, I fail to find what the appeal is in this approach.

The other half is the instrumentals that mostly revolve around oddly timed cuts, reversing loops, dropping the expectant complimentary drum beats and shifting the sample source into odd frequency ranges. Its the better half for sure, quite a few of the tracks have something to offer but what is on display is quickly saturated by a lack of depth as many of these sounds are looped to death with short snippets consisting of seconds repeated with little variation for the duration of the songs. Overall it is worth a spin for each of its unique sampling setups but beyond that... It just dulls.

Rating: 3/10

Sigh "Heir To Despair" (2018)

Many years on from the epic of Imaginary Sonicscape, Japanese band Sigh still can't seem to find a footing and direction that is entirely concrete. This year around they echo some hall marks of their classic record with morphed voices and unusual fusions of cultural roots but the collision of ideas under a Black Metal flag is all to haphazard. The album puts its foot in mouth with the second track, a possible tribute that plays like a blatant Iron Maiden rip off in its intro and outro. Although the track is mostly composed of furious riffing and blazing guitars, its stiff jump to the Ace's High riff just sets an odd tone for a record that lacks focus.

Its a guitar oriented record, the fretwork constantly winding with grooves, pinch harmonics and chugs all with a distinct distortion tone. The musics motion generally pivots on its energy, which Mirai Kawashima electrifies with his shrill, snarly and raspy shouts. Not always a welcoming presences, his narrow range is often stretched, sounding thin and weak. Its aggressive elements play up against native sounds, the Taishogoto, flute, piccolo, other woodwind instruments chime in meekly. Its even got a few unorthodox percussive sounds for a Metal band. They all seem to arrive out of turn, a complimenting addition often overpowered by the drums and guitars. The opening track however finds a balance, giving much light to its unusual side.

Three part track Heresy revives their electronic experimental ideas from the aforementioned Imaginary Sonicscape but not to much avail. It opens with its best and goes off on a tangent of unfinished ideas and noise oddities. The last song, clocking in over ten minutes, has great flow and scale but once again hails back to their classic, resurrecting a section from Requiem Nostalgia that should of just stayed there. Its been enjoyable to hear Sigh's sound again but there is little direction or focus here, just another hash of ideas that relys on their tropes and unique fusion of sounds.

Rating: 4/10

Favorite Tracks: Aletheia, Heir To Despair

Lil Peep "Come Over When You’re Sober Pt. 2" (2018)

I was very keen to get into this record after enjoying Pt. 1. Ive grown rather fond of Lil Peep and his "Emo Rap". He reminds me fondly of youthful attitudes, his angle of expression is an inevitability of obvious influences converging in a modern era of connectivity. From what I can tell, this record was assembled posthumously. With lots of unfinished material left behind, producers Smokeasac and IIVI put together another album of the same tone, feeling and theme however its twice in length with thirteen cuts.

Both producers worked with him on the first project however this one is a notably sharper product. The song structures are rooted in a popular format, the beats are tidy and everything feels well formulated. Its another collection of shuffling trap percussive arrangements and emotive, melancholic guitars to create stiring, dark, introspective atmospheres. The temperament is very much an extension of the first record, tightly tuned with no artistic progression given the situation. Part two is a fitting title.

Unsurprisingly Lil Peep is again a lonely and troubled figure on this record. His plain language shapes up with sharper poetry in some of the hooks. His lyrics are mostly direct, flavored by profanity and fueled by his pains, giving a intimate window into his life at times. Each song has its seasoning and his approach to the memorable Life Is Beautiful as sadly entrenched with sarcasm. Its dark, depressing but the expression is wonderful as his bitter sweet is birthed into musical art.

The whole project flows with a very steady consistency that does let any favorites leap out. The last few tracks always seem to leap out at me though. The darkly, esoteric strummed guitar tune in the backdrop reminds me fondly of the sort of acoustic break you might hear on a Metal record. In fact the guitars are a continual source of pleasure. Great record, notably more "pop" and loses out on the impact of the first album but ends on a very high note with its best numbers.

Favorite Tracks: White Girl, Falling Down, Sunlight On Your Skin

Rating: 7/10

Daughters "You Wont Get What You Want" (2018)

This record record requires a patient listener. Its gloomy, gaunt and desolate persona leaves little room between the dread and imminent doom it poses. You Wont Get What You Want is the American Noise Rock bands fourth album. Its a theater of darkness, a journey into fear and paranoia that drags you down with it. With little in the way of melody or uplift, bombast or groove, one may ask what is the appeal? Where other music may use darkness as its gloss, Daughters find their way straight to the core with unforgiving sounds of mental torment that do not use the common cheap tricks.

A logical comparison would be Swans, the godfathers to this repent-less style of atmospheric music. And that is the key word, atmosphere. As the motions become ingrained the overall feeling of this record emerges with a touch of class. Bold bass lines, meaty industrious drum patterns and the desperate cries of singer Marshall over the front act like the musical framework for an array of maddening sound to assault. Its these tense and eerie siren like sounds that play like alarm bells in the mind of a deranged individual that carve the vision of a harrowing within.

Initially I found the music uncomfortable, invasive and daunting but that is precisely its purpose. Many of the cuts have this unsettling spiraling sequence of notes played through peaked and distorted environments that play into the smothering atmosphere. It actually takes about twelve minutes or so for the music to give some respite as a gleaming melody bursts into life on Satan In The Wait. It has a mirage like quality as it dissipates behind these sirens of dread wailing like all in closing in on you. Other parts have varying degrees of intensity but the whole thing plays as one experience.

Its a theatrical trip, that concludes with many of its recurring sounds amassing into a cacophony of madness on its closer Guest House. Initially tricky to find your way in, its the sort of record that requires the right mood but once the door creeks ajar it doesn't take long for it to burst open. I like to get through records and its time for me to move forward but this is another album I'm convinced every listen would make me love it more. Its journey into dark side of the mind is engulfing and savage, unforgiving, a wild ride that's worth your time if your into the power of doom and gloom.

Rating: 7/10

Sons Of Kemet "Your Queen Is A Reptile" (2018)

This past month Ive been enjoying the sounds of British quartet Sons Of Kemet from our capital city London. This record, their third, is a busy Jazz scenario of unsettled landscapes in flow, occasionally smooth but mostly agitated, engulfed by worldly sounds and vibes that surface their identity. Its cover may be a link to a tribal heritage, something I don't quite hear in the music directly. For all its obvious cultural influences most of the music feels like the madness of a city whirling around an individual.

The ceaseless drums shape up every living moment with lively, energetic pacing that constantly bursts with frantic fills and moments of disorientation that always fall back on the rhythm. Armed with a deep, soft and brown restless Tuba tone, it pumps and plods away with binary pacing that leaves gaps for the Clarinet and Saxophone to fill. On tracks like Angela Davis it becomes quite fast, clustered and maddening as the intensities build with little respite. It is always the Sax that seems to find a human narrative in the atmosphere, sounding rooted as its jam rises above.

These songs drive and evolve like jam sessions, starting with a certain intensity and temperament that moves from one degree to another other the five to seven minutes they last. Occasional obvious grooves emerge but mostly its a bustling jive of instruments jabbing their voice into the fray to be heard. On its smoother cuts the toned down nature lets the lead Sax have a flow of melody but otherwise these notes swing rapidly between instruments. The calmer demeanor is always preferable.

The different degrees and flavors between songs will have you plucking favorites but the album makes a flash with two songs. On Marrie Phipps Clark and Doreen Lawrence a London Caribbean accent brings some social political commentary through recited poetry that gives focus to the instruments. These parts strips the music of its sometime monotonous tone and opens up to its other dimension, the song titles, all of which are names of female social-political figures. Ive enjoyed this record quite a lot but a smoother degree of Jazz music is more to my liking.

Rating: 6/10

Horrendous "Idol" (2018)

Its stunning album cover may be inline with modern trends of brutal music but getting past its darkly, mysterious intro track we arrive in a glorious revival of early Progressive and Technical Death Metal in the vein of Atheist, Death and Cynic. This album brings out the best machinations of that era, uniting pummeling rhythm sections with gleams of melodic uprise and challenging composition that illuminate the musical direction. Horrendous are now a decade into their career and the heaps of praise this record recived brought them to my attention, I will be sure to explore the other three records that make up their back catalog as this fantastic release commands it.

That musical experience of a matured band shows itself through brilliant songwriting that captivates with excellence as monstrous assaulting guitar grooves dance with dexterous baselines filling the experience with an involved depth as the instruments fire together. The drums take on a more complimentary roll, firing off with the shifts, twists and turns of the music and rarely devolving into a straight beat. Blast beats are not plentiful as the band taken a more measured approach to brutality. Its utilized with appropriate timing given the musical direction which often starts out flexing its intensity and then bringing in licks of lead guitar melody and colorful shifts in tone that on a couple of tracks end up in a musical whirlwind you can't get enough of.

With snarly shouts at its fore front, the band avoid a bore with somewhat monotone voicing as the screams and shouts hinge on the pacing, dropping in with varied measures between each cry. It sits nicely over the complex music which is busying through its riffs, shuffling them around and always leading to sonic bursts of lead guitar fire that ignite these already excitable atmospheres of metallic chaos where anything can happen. Its a wild ride that packs in its best numbers at the front of the album, although everything on display is rock solid and the record does close itself with an epic string of riffs on its mighty eight minute epic Obolous.

The production is feasible, capturing the thick warmness of an older record without going overboard on clarity. Its acoustic guitars bring a moonlight shimmering tone to the record that spellbounds the atmosphere on Devotion and other parts of the msuic they grace. The guitars have a bright and filling thrash tone, the drums crunchy and ever present. The bass guitar gets the upfront treatment it deserves as it filling the belly with restless scale exploring. When it does mirror the guitars its usually with a classic Death Metal off note harmonization. Idol is brilliant for simply just that. All though it revives an old sound, it does so without statement, just residing in that era.

Rating: 8/10

Favorite Tracks: Soothsayer, The Idolater, Golgothan Tongues

Wardruna "Skald" (2018)

Having enjoyed the Nordic ambience and cultural folk of Runaljod, I brought this album without a first listen. Its a departure from what I remember as Skald trades off depth and indulgence for a grounded minimalism that far better represents what this may have one sounded like. Einar Selvik stands as a dominate presence, a lone ancestral voice to guide us through the echos of heritage and its accompanying instrumentation, of which there is little. Naked and bare, his language is sung with inflections and an honest rawness to invoke what may have been in centuries past.

Purely by impression, his performance resembles runic scriptures and handed down heathen hymns. The poetry of cultures lost to time. His lone voice holds strong as simple single stringed instrument melodies repeat to set the tone. Only on Vindavla do the instruments switch to bring a darker, tense tone as the Lute alike instrument mostly delivers soothing and warm music. One can envision Nordic ancestors sat around a campfire as they exchange stories and sing poetry together.

At its end the record dulls with a fifteen minute accapella. His isolated voice not as charming alone. On my first few listens I struggled to be sucked in to this world but with patience it grew a little. The fault is probably with my own preferences as a richer instrumentation would have lured me in and cultural hymns are often not to my liking through human voice alone. It is however a remarkable performance in the right mood, a soothing and spiritual listen that will evoke historical echos of our humanity.

Rating: 5/10

Anderson .Paak "Oxnard" (2018)

There was some hype around this record. I learned of its release from many places and so was compelled to check out Anderson .Paak who Ive only heard in features with Schoolboy Q and Dr. Dre so far. His voice is soft, slightly nasal, compelling, with an easy, laid back flow to his delivery and persona. Bluring the lines between sing and rap he drifts between both, rhyming verses at a variety of paces that makes his presence an indulgence of good vibes as he comes armed with bright instrumentals.

Oxnard rests firmly as a G-Funk, R&B hybrid of Soul and Hip Hop. Its slick and smooth, tight drum beats mark up against warm and jazzy pianos, glossy trumpets, expressive saxophones, announcing horns and silky string sections. Its essentially drawing from a trending direction in Hip Hop, where the samples are replaced with performing artists. This iteration feels as if its constructed from the ground up with the freedoms of composition letting some musical, textural dexterity flourish.

Its undoubtedly a gorgeous sounding record with its lush instrumentation but often it lapses into the cyclical loop a sampled track would have. With the drums dialed down a little it focusing less on groove and more so on the mood and tone. Its a smooth, laid back mood but my overall experience of these songs was that not much stuck from them. It felt like songs were going through the motions, th the most interesting aspect being the various topics Paak would dive into. Slick sound but failed to be infectious.

After many listens I'm left with not a lot to say about the record. Its ideas land but underwhelming. Perhaps I'm not on its wavelength? Its best moment is Tints which illuminates 80s Pop vibes and packages up the records best hook in the chorus. Besides that a few features like Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Q-Tip catch the ear but none of them bring anything dramatic to the project. Overall its been a very lukewarm listen which I would hesitate to criticize. I gave it quite a few go's and little clicked.

Favorite Track: Tints

Rating: 5/10

Portal "Ion" (2018)

Its January and that means digging through various 2018 top lists for last years treats I missed out on. Australian Experimental Death Metal band Portal caught my eye but not my ear. Its been a drag to see out this record which aims to deconstruct and reassemble Extreme music into the ugliest form imagined. The result is almost unbearable but with some tolerance and repeated exposures to this decadence, little magics were reveal below the surface bar one or two sparse incidents.

Assaulting with scratchy jarring guitar tones, Portal create blocks of sound out of maddening disjointed fretting noise that's mostly discernible. Lacking any rhythm, groove or melody its becomes a pure rebellion of established ideas and an experiment unto its own. Working with tension, disharmony and atonality the songs bleed into an anti-music mess, they all seem one and the same. Perhaps only Spores makes a mark in being even more wretched and disgusting with an injection of harsh noise and teeth clenching distortion that is at least of interest through aesthetic curiosity.

Each track amasses an arsenal of estranged guitar torture to burrow through in bursts of blast beats between build ups that seem to interchange with the roll of a dice. Not even a sense of momentum is reasonable. In its best moments it reminded me of the scattering, sludgy madness of a young Morbid Angel and discovering Death Metal for the first time, putting together the pieces behind the musics brutal and abrasive aesthetic. When ever a glimpse of that same magic starts to form its swiftly cast down by the shifting intensities that also work to dispel its brief and fleeting atmospheres.

Its most favorable aspect is singer "Horror Illogium" who consistently puts forth a one-dimensional whisper-like throaty growl that wouldn't sound out of place in a conventional Death Metal band. It feels like the only thing grounding the record but he too is a dull roar. Its entirely possible that I am missing the point, not connecting the dots and I'll probably give It a try every now and then but after five attempts its turned into a snooze fest of ideas that seem designed to disgust than inspired to incite.

Rating: 2/10

Anna Von Hausswolff "Dead Magic" (2018)

This is my first record from Swedish singer Anna Von Hausswolff and It wont be my last! Her timeless vocals and meditative music an instant connection that's stoked the flames of emotion as her deeply resonate voice taps into the human life stream. She reminds me fondly of Lisa Gerrard who embodies worldly, cultural tones, however Anna has a voice that's strong, powerful and enigmatic yet caught in a blissful limbo of solace and sorrow. The music feels like the perfect setting for her haunting and grieving words to play out through spiritual, monotonous instrumentals that conjure earthly visions of nature alongside ambiguous echos of magical, evaded dangers. Its a unique cast of ideas heard in much of the music I enjoy. Here it comes together with a potent chemistry, a special touch that I simply adore.

The music has a fantastic droning quality, each song holds its moments together with a looping percussive momentum, letting shifts, turns and inclinations in intensity feel wholly natural and with true purpose. The deep pipe organs and embrace of droning synths smothered in reverb give each track its ambiguous belly as the drums come with tribal poundings to guide the flow. Rumbling, gritty, droning guitar distortions texture the mood on one track where another achieves this with acoustic chords and tambourine. String instruments weep there sorrow and synthesizers add to the Ethereal soundscapes along with many other sounds in the details.

The album starts in a warm place with a playful beat and two note melody guiding the musics into gleaming shifts of uplifting chords, chiming with her voice. The lengthy song collapses into an echo chamber of reflections as the pipe organ leads us to a dramatic and spiritual climax. It sets the stage for things to continuously darken as Anna exchanges her words between a gorgeously illusive and mysterious shimmering sound that drifts in and out of focus like a ghostly magic in the distance.

With Ugly And Vengeful we go on a dark journey, steadily descending into the depths on a sixteen minute epic that builds to an almighty, menacing atmosphere peaked by a unforgiving melody. The Marble eye is a beautiful pipe organ solo piece that gives one a sense of aftermath and loss with a creak of hope in its tone. The albums final track rolls out more of this feeling, bringing in her voice again with some wretched gritty noises of suffering buried deep under the organs brooding tone.

Dead Magic has been a recent addiction, a record I know I will treasure for times to come. A phenomenal spell is cast somewhere between her burdened voice and the brilliant instrumentals. With a meditative quality one embarks on a spiritual journey, each listen steers itself from knowing and embraces the abandon around her sorrow swept lyrics. It has a darkness far from evil or horror that's oddly comforting and unique given all the shades of shadows I enjoy. Wonderful record, would have been high up on My Top 10 Albums Of 2018 list. Now to get her other two albums!

Rating: 9/10

Steve Roach "Mercurius" (2018)

Far from the minimalist magic of Structures From Silence or the spiritual revelations of Dreamtime Return, I underestimated what an old master would be up to far from the emergence of Ambient music. Steve has not lost his touch, Mercurius delivers four soundscape pieces amassing over seventy minutes between them. This lengthy record isn't about event and progression. Its built around mood and tone and with layers of select synthetic tones and appropriate reverberations Steve conjures gleaming, glossy and meditative atmospheres to sink the mind into. It may be thought of as background music but it is potent and powerful, sucking one in slowly.

Liminal is a light and airy piece of peaceful ambiguity, gentle murmuring synths drifting in and out of focus with a heavenly vibe that flirts with illusive melodies. The lengthy Immanent rumbles into darker, spacey territory with its deeper, dense synth tones bleeding lengthy notes that overlap as they fade in and out of each other. Aeon is my favorite, with a similar pallet to Liminal but spiraling instruments take on a psychedelic sense of exploration as a semblance of tune and melody creeps in. Mercurius has a thick, rich smothering of smooth synths with a grander stretch of sound fading in and out, having the closest sense of "event" in bulging growths of volume.

All in all its an easy record to let pass you by as its soft atmospheres breath slowly and the uneventful nature of the music may dull but in the right moment its meditative magic seeps forth and will cast its calming spell. It did take a few listens to click and now its a noted "go to" for in need of some calming relaxation. A great listen!

Favorite Track: Aeon

Rating: 7/10

Sarah Longfield "Disparity" (2018)

Following up on the captivating Collapse // Expand record, talented Guitarist Sarah Longfield takes a freeing step forward with Disparity, an album that further unshackles the chains of this colorful Post-Djent sound. With a notably more polished production Sarah lets her creativity and vision flourish in directions that feel unconstrained as her monstrous 8-string guitar drifts from focus and the other instruments, often electronic and welcoming, blossom into various avenues of exotic and cultural sound.

There are still two tracks that revolve around her excellent guitar playing. Cataclysm spurs up the dizzying Gru melodies and the following Sun has a noticeable gleaming guitar lead reminiscent of Sithu Aye. Sun, however, entangles its lead guitar with goosebumps conjuring exotic, alluring xylophone chords. They resonate with a summery warmth as the song then pivots with a Smooth Jazz saxophone lick, its reminiscent of 90s daytime TV theme songs to be heard again on the next two.

These are just a couple of examples in this stunning record loaded with bright, colorful, warm and harmonious instruments diving into luscious avenues over and over again. Every track has its own flavor and they are held together with recurring electronic tones and a slightly Ethereal vibe enhanced by Sarah's singing. She finds a new vocal approach, with a layering and harmony that reminds me fondly of Autumn's Grey Solace. Its mostly instrumental but she pops in at just the attune times.

The music offers so much and her percussive composure is exquisite, rarely falling into a simple beat, commanding momentum with shifts and turns that utilize other instruments in its build up. The drums often mingle in with the various electronic tones and uncommon percussive sounds too. Their is cohesion on all fronts and my only criticism may be that these songs never escape the three to four minute range. That may be a conscious decision but given the sheer excellent compositions at work, it feels like a time constraint of sorts given the progressive and expansive style of sound at play. This is the sort of record that's hard to tire yourself of. I can't get enough of it!

Favorite Tracks: Sun, The Fall

Rating: 8/10

Haken "Vector" (2018)

Ive spent a couple months with this record and come to a conclusion that some things are objectively better than your experience of it. That's not to say Vector is a poor record, quite the opposite. Its a sweet, dazzling album loaded with succulent, oozing Prog to melt in your mouth. I feel guilty that I should be enjoying it more! On all fronts this record excels yet it doesn't get me fired up in quite the way Id like. I very much enjoyed the modern Progressive Metal behemoths Haken's previous records Aquarius and Visions. I was hyped, excited and they delivered but like much of this breed of Metal I am a little checked out from the whole experience when the music is mute.

Firstly, this record sounds as you would expect, modern and crisp, all instruments are slick, lush and audible. There is plenty of dense music and build ups that cram a lot of instrumentation in, the production holds up well in its most challenging moments. The aesthetics are terrific, especially the bass guitar and vocals. The bass has a broad grizzly clunk that plods and pumps its rooted notes from deep below with occasional moments upfront as other sounds part. Ross Jennings soars at the front with his high pitched and silky smooth tones that get challenged on occasion but mostly get to emanate of the musics energy and crescendo the songs most powerful moments.

Song structures are grand and fleshed out as one would expect with a typically ever unraveling feeling to the whole experience. Bursts of synthetic drums and whirling electronics spice up a recurring aesthetic, yet subtle, theme. As you might expect the album flexes its intensities from thunderous clatters of sound, monstrous math guitar grooves and Djent open close riffing all the way too stretches of calming quiets of sombre singing over acoustic guitars and soothing jazzy interludes. Its a wild ride of peaks and valleys never ceasing to evolve and unfold in its inspired complexity.

Not falling victims to the folly of over-indulged technicalities and music theory hackery, Haken forge a fantastical journey through their inspirations and vision that all its songs share with purpose. Its one big experience that can be enjoyed at the surface or sunk into. When focusing on details there is a plethora of intricacies that all feel necessary in making it come together. The record ends on a high with its best vocals and an infectious riff that keeps recurring its way into the final heart beat of the song. It ends on a stunning note as it swiftly cuts itself short. Their best album to date no doubt.

Favorite Tracks: Puzzle Box, A Cell Divides

Rating: 8/10