Carcass "Despicable" (2020)

I was eagerly awaiting a new Carcass album. It has been seven years of silence since the reunion record Surgical Steel. Disappointment struck upon learning this release is simply a four track tie over to the full length pushed back by the ongoing pandemic situation. Despicable's four songs apparently "didn't make the cut". Considering these are pretty darn enjoyable numbers, I'm now even more excited for Torn Arteries, now delayed and set to drop sometime next year.

Returning again with their defined textural flavor of Melodic Death Metal, seasoned musicians Jeff Walker and Bill Steer craft warm, inviting strands of extreme music. Residing mostly within the mid-tempo, even temperaments of aggression and melody play out mostly from an approachable middle ground. The drums rock steady grooves with fractional forays into challenging blast beats and dexterous sequences. Distortion guitars churn out sturdy power chord arrangements with exciting iterations on the fretboard, mostly manifesting into dazzling sparks of color as the lead and rhythm guitars work in tandem. Its only notably "extreme" in brief moments.

Its the raspy, whispering shouts and screams permeating all of the music that anchors the edge down. With a snaky serpentine flavor, they slither over these songs with severity. Not to get too hung up on the Extreme Metal angle but if you strip out the vocals, this record is basically an accessible set of adrenaline charged songs with gorgeous melodic entanglements and great song writing. Everything comes together wonderfully, even with a catchy hook or two. On Slaughtered In Soho, the slaughtered lyric is cried out, wrapped in a brief reverberation after the lovely unraveling melodic refrain from the lead guitar. Its leads are continuously sublime.

Everything about this record feels measured and in balance. Some of the more creative, tempo breaking riffs come with a keen sense of quality over going "full throttle". The breakdown riff on Manchester Morgue makes great use of deadening the power chords on path to the next. Small details and moments like this are illuminated when a guitar solo wails over top. Its great writing, over exploiting techniques. Despicable has a fine production, crisp, bright instruments get to dance in the forum of aggression underpinning the overall mood. My only annoyance is the use of cowbell. It forays into the music on occasion but something about that instrument never feels right to me.

Rating: 6/10

Havok "V" (2020)

 

Slow to the take up this fifth installment from revivalists Havok, It perhaps found me at the perfect time, an apatite Thrash Metal brewing and certainly satisfied as my recent spins of V have been nothing but fun and exciting! The faithful four piece outfit from Denver, Colorado tow a difficult line in resurrecting a style from the 80s with the glory of modern production. Originally is not their main aspiration but a consequence that could derail the vision. Subsequently they walk a tightrope in the shadow of great bands that came before, utilizing all the song writing constructs, techniques and aesthetics of the arguably most pivotal era in the history of Heavy Metal.

In its opening tracks just about every melodic refrain, chugging palm muted riff and cutting drum pattern reeks of that which came before. Distinct echos of early Metallica rhythm guitar and Megadeth's technical innovations are at the root of musical intent. Only the bass guitar strays with the occasional discordant harmonization more reminiscent of the Technical Death Metal to come. Riffs, arrangements and song structures are all potent! Each track feels fiery and intentional, written to pivot through its ideas with powerful impact, almost reminiscent of the momentum in a Slayer classic with its keenest of headbanging passages.

If it sounds like high praise then allow me to restrain myself. V tends to lack in stand out moments but instead deploys its music like a consistent revolution of familiarity. Executed with exceptional ability and flushes of dazzling, dexterous fretwork through its guitar solos, Its a dose of excellence devoid of originality or surprise. Front man David Sanchez seems to have fully embraced the politicization of his music, first appearing on Conformicide, V is also loaded with social-political commentary of a particular leaning. Like last time, his lyrics seem close to the pulse of podcast culture and the discussions of our time with Panpsychism and the coined term "Post-Truth Era" making its way into the topicality. Expressed with bold statements, it leaves little room for the same discussions that may have inspired his words.

As expressed in my opening remarks, an album like this ultimately boils down to personal preference and temperament. It's brilliantly executed revivalism with a strong political inflection that may put some off. The forging of Thrash Metal may of had similar sentiments within the scene but listeners today are of a broader variety. Personally, I don't take it all to seriously but it is very much in a similar spirit to the anti-war stance from the 80s. Fortunately for me its elements clicked into place. A stellar production and aesthetic fidelity plays well into the hands of the riveting Thrash energy these songs conjure! Its been a blast.

Rating: 8/10

Zeal And Ardor "Wake Of A Nation" (2020)

Wake Of A Nation, our state of current affairs are deeply rooted in this mini-albums reflection of the past and present, the ongoing social upheaval sparked by the death of George Floyd earlier this year. Zeal And Ardor has been a beacon of excitement in recent years, a fantastical fusion of Black Metal and historical Chain-Gang music. Conceived as an imagined union of slave struggles and satanic rebellion, its inception was magic but notably tacky in the best of ways. With a leap forward in musical maturity on Stranger Fruit, the promises began to blossom but now through the lens of a concise expression, this seventeen minute plunge commands attention as its wades between ferocious exorcisms of righteous anger and bluesy emotional vulnerabilities.

Baked into its expression are the infamous lines and words echoed into the minds of many from the horrific event transpiring in the hands of cops. Both through his lyrics and with audio samples from the event, these five songs remind us of the horror, ask the questions and repeatedly unravel into sprawls of fury and rage. One of its hardest hitting verses, "I know how you're going to die, whispers weary mother to child, we've seen this all before you were born", comes through these bluesy piano led passages of downtrodden melody, a new counterpart to the extremities that looks beyond the scope of its Chain-Gang origin. Although this remains on Trust No One, a song with a menacing wail of high pitched guitar over stomping riffs, the expansion in songwriting is an endearing one.

Its social-political message around Black Lives Matter is hard felt. Looking beyond that scope, the motive has clearly spearheaded the exception music. With snarling discernible screams leading the eruptions of dark extremities, its gravity of brevity can be felt in texture alone and when the music propels into darkness the shrill assault of blasting drums and drive of nihilistic guitars is bursting with atmosphere drenched in emotional turmoil. Each of its songs bring a spice and equally, the "clean" side comes with enticing flavors that have endured my back to back spins of this stunning record.

Of all the listens, not once did the production value cross my mind. With no obviously over polished elements or fidelity lacking focuses, it has served its purpose stealthily, a very good sign. It could simply be that the contents of music and subject matter are so strong it carries the record alone. At seventeen minutes its a streak of excellence that an album may have stretched thin, a good choice to keep it all hyper focused. Wake Of A Nation is without a weak moment, steeped in urgent inspiration that's manifested in the context of an artist still refining their sound. With new angles and elements playing in wonderfully their future looks bright. Lastly, I have to comment on the police batons forming the upside down cross, a perfect image to represent this artists moment in time.

Rating: 8/10

Kataklysm "Unconquered" (2020)

 

 The appeal of purchasing this record was mostly to "check in" with a band from the years of youth. Unconquered is Kataklysm's fourteenth in a steady flow of albums spanning over twenty five years, a competent yet routine production of modern Metal by seasoned musicians with not much in the way of something new to offer. Initially known for their "Northen Hyperblast" take on Death Metal, only a resemblance of the shocking rattle of drums on overdrive that defined them remains. The songs are of course intense in nature, however only one track stood out too perpetuate that distinction, Defiant. Its opening hailstorm of machine gun snare blasting makes for an intensity wall of sound relieved by brief glimpses of dizzying fretwork from the guitars. It tho break to the mid-tempo, a region most the record spends its time within.

Getting onboard with the times the group utilize seven, or even eight string guitars with a brutish tone set to dazzle with a textural indulgence of low and meaty distortion. Its a great sound fit for the groove, bounce of low strings and groan of pinch harmonics wrapped up in the Djent guitar style. It actually came as a shock to hear the embracing of riffs with less of that Death Metal flavor, however there is no polymeasures at play. In all fairness it does not dominate, most songs tend to come with a mix of tonal noise abuse and a shredding of chords more akin to their tradition. The balance keeps Unconquered entertaining on its thirty eight minute stretch.

Luckily for me, Iacono's throaty shouts of forceful anger have a temperament I enjoy. Many of his lyrics that I managed to decipher, however, felt all to chest pumping and shallow. Triumphant threats and statements of violence ushered in with simplistic use of language. Little too ponder on but maybe something to cling to if you can relate it to personal grievances. The lyrical dimension gave me little to enjoy but with a crisp textural production, the barrage of battering drums and brutal guitars timely laced with melodies made for enthralling extreme noise music listening experience that is hard to put down. The record lacks distinct songwriting to stand beyond the norm and given my immersion in metal music, nothing here will root itself in my memory. Perhaps with one exception, the ending to Underneath The Scars has a pretty sick breakdown. The rapid pedals firing in the silence between slams of guitar noise is wonderfully executed. Unconquered is a fun one for fans of extremity but offer little new.

 Rating: 6/10

Taurwen "A Wind Blows From The Mountain Of Death" (2020)

Never before have I felt the chills of resemblance to my own musical output, Forgotten Conquest. In composition and temperament there may be some similarities but the distinction is virtual instruments. The luscious deep bellowing horns, serine yet sorrowful strings and especially the crisp, immaculate bright pianos. There tone and delivery so close to its intended form, catches my ear as the same set of tools I once used. This, Taurwen's debut album, suffers the same follys I too encountered in my amateurish pursuit of manifesting the music in my mind to something tangible.

Flirting with the lost, pale and bleak, its minimalism of lone instruments lay stark and bare, converging on occasions. Its rooted in repetitions stripped of charm by the virtual instruments cold, mechanic precision each string, elongated chord and piano note brings. Pitch perfect and identical in sequence, its atmosphere is cut by the sterility, barely blemished by soft reverberations and echos. The music rotates with such perfection that its meaning, inspiration and emotion feels lost without a human touch.

It is however clear whats aimed for here, a pry into a world of beauty and sorrow held in mother natures cold cruelty and majestic wonder. Its melodies stray and meander, forever wandering alone on the back of this illustrious sound of beautiful instruments with a glossy finish. Its songs open like windows into a moment of inconsequential scenic melodies, with a human presence, one of carved stone and overgrown vines. Some of the music is lone and linear, others richer with multiple layers of composition that too, together, feel naked and bare like a lost poem or faded picture.

Deep pounded drums are struck to muster the oomph for upheaval and building masked crescendos that never quite culminate. Its bells too are an interesting choice, cutting like a knife and often suddenly signifying the end as if a spell had been broken. Its hard to put a finger on this particular place. Caught somewhere between Dungeon Synth and the medieval Fantasy of Fief it certainly has a potential but I can't get past the image of notation on the piano roll, perfectly executed. Its best moment might just be Hum Of The Forest where things get muddied up in its layers of foggy ambience. That human wear and tear is what much of this record needs.

Rating: 4/10

Deftones "Ohms" (2020)

How is it that after a handful of spins, these ten new tracks feel like songs you've know for years? With each record Deftones pivot to a new shade of sound, a fresh take on a decades spanning identity. Title track and lead single Ohms flags the new direction as the group lean deep into their Shoegaze era inspirations. Its almost misleading as the most ambitious number to emphasize Steven Carpenter's riffing direction, now utilizing a nine string guitar yet he can't help but drift into classic groove laden chugs on half of these songs. They sway, cushioned below the hazy rising sun of Chino's sleepy voice entangled with ever present light airy synths that permeate the unique atmosphere of this stunning album, the bands ninth in a string of successes.

Opening with Genesis, eerie saw wave synths stir soft tensions as dreamy, sombre acoustics paint reoccurring colors to the canvas. In a moments notice it gives way to the slam of Steven's Djent tonality with the intensity dialed to the forefront. The synth remains, as it does throughout the record, sustaining a soft, warm haze that will in turn blossom many beautiful moments when barraging distortion riffs give way. Its the temperament of Chino's swooning voice that feels crucial to the swaying. Their musical chemistry never needs selling though his soaring cries to softer breathy speaking hits a home run, gluing it all together with a charm that never fades.

 On Urantia his inflections and pitch have an uncanny resemblance to Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins. With so many shared commonalities and parallels in music its actually remarkable how little of the record conjures thoughts of other artists. And yet still across its ten songs there is much diversity, especially when they deviate from norms as the guitar direction feels intentionally more explorative. When attune experimentation flourishes, the singular, textural synths often shine. Error is simply magical, no thanks to the spellbinding drone of its spooky swirling oscillation.

Its a particularly strong moment as it transitions into the albums best, The Spell Of Mathematics. Initially a sludgy slug fest of low end noise, the creepy synths break for esoteric interludes that eventually culminate with Chino ushering a ravishing warmth from its unsettled, chilling atmosphere. The composition highlights a strange tone Ohms posses. Its a foot a two realms, finding limbo as all that's glossy and gorgeous is in constant friction with an ominous, faceless lurching presence. Dark, chilling yet far from danger or evil it carves a place that feels like a lonely wandering dream.

Working with Terry Date, the production is no doubt a marvel. Crisp, clear instruments with depth, fidelity and character meet on a stage fit for straight forward music capable of blooming into dense walls of magical sound. Abe Cunningham continues to impress as he houses not only the monstrous grooves but the flushes where Deftones step further from their tradition. Early on in the record I feel like we hear far more of his creativity, deeper in its a little routine. The baselines too, often an undercurrent, play a roll, livening up much of the music with its added power in the dense mixture.

The Deftones have a deep authentic chemistry. Taking care and time with each record there is simply no denying their execution. Ohms is inspired, interesting and mesmerizing when your locked in. Its best comes from texture and atmosphere, the heavy persuasion a familiar one that works best when pinned in by the synths, Frank Delgado really gave this record a special edge. The one dimension I all too often miss out on is lyrics. Many of the lines I did catch onto felt artistic and poetic, I'm sure a read of the lyric sheet is worth while. That will be on the "to do" list for now and so will this record as I'll continue to binge for some time, no doubt!

Rating: 9/10

Anna Von Hausswolff "All Thoughts Fly" (2020)

 

Her previous ambition, Dead Magic, was a riveting record upon discovery. Since then its been a frequent return, always delivering its beautiful sorrow and engulfing esoteric spookiness. I brought All Thoughts Fly in the blink of an eye, not knowing it was not a typical release. Devoid of her captivating voice, the record is an instrumental piece, recorded entirely on a pipe organ. The initial disappointment soured my first few listens as I yearned for the music to give way to other elements. Having now grown accustom to its dimension, I hear the foundational building blocks of her "normal" music being deeply explored in the various moody temperaments this record offers.

Three to four of these seven songs explore a cold, glum macabreness. Funeral sadness and crushing sorrow permeates the room in the rich bellowing fog of a dense, burdensome organ tone. Its dark, lonely and tearful in its most penetrating moments. Sacro Bosco acts a bridge between halves. Initially mysterious, Anna uses stereo panned low notes over ambiguous fuzzy noise to build the song into a magical realm. Its quite impressive how this was done with just the pipe organ, however one can imagine reverberations, loop pedals and other processing tools may have come into play to forge such a layered and dense sound the music wanders into often.

This magical, esoteric side is better explored in the opening number. Whirling sounds of sparkles flutter by prodding instruments, bursts of notation climbing from rumbling lows to spectral highs in a cyclical nature. Its ambiguous and entrancing, yet its later spells, including the lengthy title track, tend to lull into a drone as its swirling, looping nature becomes jaded in its own shadow. It may move through phases but the unrelenting spiral of notes ends up becoming a heavy wash of background radiation.

There is an impressive quality to this record with knowledge of how all the mysterious, atmospheric and ambiguous sounds that emanate, came from a lone instrument. It sparks my curiosity. How many layers and plugins where used for each song? The depressive church organ songs clearly used less yet in some of the musics build ups there is a lot going on to digest. All Thoughts Fly possess some spellbinding compositions yet in its duration frequently becomes dull and droning in its final stretch. One can clearly hear the foundations of her unique music, the scope of which is greatly elevated by her voice and accompanying instruments. There is of course no reason not to pursue an ambition like this, however it didn't feel like it could yield anything being the normative scope.

Rating: 6/10

Napalm Death "Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism" (2020)

Despite relative disappointment with proceeding Apex Predator, I'll always be one excited for a new Napalm Death record! The British Grindcore legends have entered their fifth decade as a band with Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism, their sixteenth full length record, remarkable! The EP Logic Ravaged By Brute Force released earlier this year didn't exactly hint at what was next for the band but I am happy to report the albums kicks off a boot to the stomach and fist to the teeth as its opening plunge into choppy fretwork chaos and pummeling blast beats gives that much needed adrenaline shot to the heart this group deliver on so often. Its pivot to a tense, dark and atmospheric guitar lead with Barney roaring in vitriol "get a looser grip" sets its sights on the records two halves.

The next couple of tracks continue to tear into an unrelenting energy fueled by anger and frustration. Crushing percussion batters away, dizzying riffwork assaults and venomous screams hammer down on the listener for a riotous ride. Contagion acts the link, darkly choral voicing chime in to brood the mood between a collection of stomping riffs loaded with groove and intensity. Jole De Ne Pas Vivre then breaks the intensity for a maddening atmosphere as echoing noises of destruction paint the crunching, clunking baseline that propels the song forward as vocalist Barney wretches his chords for an artful performance. Its a moment in the record to play up the two sides that deliver in various degrees running through the next half of the record explored with plenty of intensity.

This time around Napalm Death have found a balance in ideas that play out with continual excitement. The dark atmospheres conjured are both curious and enticing. They provide relief for the sonic assaults led by Mitch Harris's unending arsenal of riffs and reinforced by the battering sticks of Danny Herrera. The record has a fine production, all elements audible and synchronously smothering. The guitars in particular have texture and fidelity best exposed in noisy Post-Punk riffs that crop up on a couple of tracks. At forty two minutes it does well to hold attention with consistency as songs to not stand out from one another however plenty of individual compositions and "moments" will be sure to grab your attention, for me mostly with the half step drum grooves and plunges into hellish sounds.

With such a large discography and long history, it can't be overstated how fantastic it is to have these musicians still pumping out gold. Plenty of the music here feels akin to their high standards which took a fumble in my opinion last time around. The five years between records has been worth the wait, the gods of Grindcore are at it again! You may also miss out on a fantastic track with Feral Carve-Up somehow only making to the b-side material as a bonus track. Thinking on it further, the other bonus song was remarkable too. Great record! A must listen for fans of intense ear torture.

Rating: 8/10

Ihsahn "Pharos" (2020)

 

Ihsahn, a musician I marvel at for his works with the mighty Emperor! He is back with another five track EP counterpart to Telemark - released earlier this year. It had me prepared for anything and no surprise, Pharos is an equally eclectic experience, swaying with the dark and light before delivering a pair of intriguing covers that have Ihsahn exploring a vulnerable range in his voice I'd not heard before.

Kicking off with Losing Altitude, Specter At The Feast and the title track, all original material, the music brews a moody overcast atmosphere with both hints of hazy melodic color and an uneasy tension brewing just beyond the horizon. Navigated with a pop sensibility, musters of electricity in the rises between the falls, erupt with an engulfing energy that gracefully retains this curious middle ground. Indulgences in jazzy, lounge instruments with soft strings and moonlit piano keys exchange between soars of electric guitar lead, riveting distortion chords and thunderous tom drums. The music breathes life from this shadowy yet safe and expressive place.

With its covers the music shifts gears given the difference in musical style. Its a stage for Ihsahn to show more of himself through the higher pitched voicing. It works well with the dreary Portishead cover, however the following track pushes things a little with its cheesy 80s synth pop vibes. Overall the song is decent but the vocals get pushed into a strange place in a couple of the songs passes. Another interesting EP! The new material was by far the most captivating aspect.

Rating: 5/10

Ulver "Flowers Of Evil" (2020)

 

Thinking back on The Assassination Of Julius Caesar, this latest installment from Norwegian musician Ulver has failed to feel as remarkable and that is probably down to its carbon copy nature. There isn't an inch or a mile of difference between the two records temperaments and so the warm, inviting music of this intellectual artsy rock fused with soft synth and percussive electronic elements, finds itself with the edge dulled for this listener. It is however, much like before, a riveting yet safe experience of melodic crooning, noninvasive music that sways with own particular swoon.

Once again Rygg's voice shines like a beacon. Smooth and powerful he lights up the songs with classy melodies to compliment the drive of blinking electronic instruments that weave together airy piano chords, warm droning baselines and spontaneously adventurous percussion. Together they forge an Ethereal edge to the aesthetic when the vocals are striped back and instruments reverberate with a calming, indulgent intention. Swaying from these states and brief moments of percussive rigidity strip back the curtain of their design, a positive moment many of the songs here possess.

To me it feels like the record sets off in a darker place, the synths tinged with a Synthwave tone illuminate a subtle nightlife vibe. Lyrics carry an anxiety, dystopian topics unravel as Rygg packages his lyrics with a poetic ambiguity. As the music progresses to warmer shores the wording becomes more direct and less of his catchy wordings arise. That however is just my take on an area I tend to gloss over more in music. Ultimately its another eight fantastic songs to fit this current stylistic stride but with a less remarkable impact given how little of the music here offers up something new in the shadow of its predecessor. Good but not quite great.

Rating: 7/10

Marilyn Manson "We Are Chaos" (2020)

 

With his career revived in its third stint, news of We Are Chaos brought quite the anticipation, despite Heaven Upside Down not having the same lasting power as The Pale Emperor. From the first spin till this latest, this new chapter has had quite the absorbing pull. Now starting to pick out my favorites, all ten of these tracks strive for a similar sing-along anthem spirit as Manson's lyrics hit a stride for his typically striking wording and keen thought provoking lyrics, twisted with a little deviance as his catchy chorus hooks dig like nails into skin, leaving a mark.

One to normally romp with metallic aggression and industrial noise, the bands thick and embellished sound gives way to the tenants of popular song writing. Where riffs and slabs of darkly sound once took the musical stance, keen writing directed by driving baselines, elevated with timely pianos and permeated with moody acoustic guitars. A stage is set for Manson to shine as a front man, his lyrics churning dark and difficult realities into sing along songs is remarkable as hes done it many times before. Without deep analysis, the general mood feels like an amalgamation of his newer personally oriented themes and lesser so, the social commentary.

Infinite Darkness and Perfume stick out as a moment more alike his traditional styling. They fit in well to punch a bit of stomping energy between the indulgence of lighter songs toying with the the now common wall of sound production style where the music is fluffed up layers of sound between its core instruments. Its a good thing, enriching these tunes. In the game of picking favorites, the songs that define themselves do so with flashes of great songwriting from decades gone by and quite the variety of genres and moods these musics have blessed us with. Its hard to pin down even per song but it feels like the band embraced a lot of inspiration.

For me, We Are Chaos now sits in this strange place where I can lavish praise upon it yet as the songs become better known I wonder if its got legs. Over the years many records muster up a big fuss in their freshness only to fade. Some songs here will undoubtedly stand the test of time. If all of them do we could be looking be at a record to fit in among his best. One thing that is for sure, a lot of these songs will fit sweetly into a set list whenever he is amble to resume touring, given the times and all.

Rating: 9/10

Macabre Omen "Anamneses" (2020)

Macabre Omen's mighty Greek mythology inspired take on Black Metal had carved a memorable niche. With word of a new record I snapped up the new release, embracing its epic fourteen minute opener, ready for a ravishing ride. Then hit by a big tonal shift in quality and style I realized something was up, as the next six songs went to a nostalgic realm. Doing my research, something I thought I would have done with Gods Of War, I've learned this band have been active since the post church burning years of 94 onward when the scene exploded with bands getting in on the act.

Anamneses is actually a compilation, one new mighty song accompanied by all their demo songs from 1995 to 2000, remastered. The quality is interesting, one can hear the scratchy, murky guitars were far from saving. Shrill howling screams still raw and blunt, the drums to a rickety racket of pummeling droning. The bass guitar somehow has a fair bit of color an pronunciation preserved. The synths sounding practically rebuilt from the ground up, possibly with renewed tones and aesthetics too.

I haven't listened to the tapes for comparison but one can hear all the hallmarks of these classic self produced demos distributed on cassette tapes. Its quite the fun experience as the musical compositions do stand apart from what was common at the time. Some anthemic ideas still heard in their music decades later are present but the overall tone is dark, gritty and damned ugly! Especially the first couple of demos. A harsh experience, not exactly entry material into the world of Black Metal.

These old songs offer quite the variety! Interesting arrangements of synths and acoustic guitar conjuring a keen and individual sense of atmosphere not heard so distinctly among others in the genre. More so in the later years, the band clearly progress over these demos. The new song too embellishes this flavor with its mythic sweeping acoustic guitars, smothered in roomy reverberations, championed by choral cries to lead into a lofty song of complexity, subtly integrating the acoustics over and over. Great listen but a novel one that is hard to parade as an album experience.

Rating: 4/10

Metallica "S&M2" (2020)

 

Twenty years on from their now iconic S&M performance with The San Fransisco, the two reunite for an experience both recreating the original and throwing in some new elements with underwhelming takes on Classical Music and of course an inclusion of new material from Hardwired and Death Magnetic. Although it is impossible not to enjoy a Metallica set list, this project feels inferior, cast to the shadows of its former glory with some flaws present throughout that just let you know the original was a magnitude better. Ironically it is this release the press seemed to have gotten onboard with, heaping on praise where the first one was often misunderstood.

 

As the band age so do their performances and all too often can you hear Lars struggling to keep pace, Kirk's solo's become a little scattered and sloppy and James too struggles with his voice infrequently. At the live show, its hardly an issue given the immersion and event but taken to wax, its all too noticeable. What is also very apparent is the often meager and timid nature of the symphony. Its either the mixing or composition but these numbers feel far more like a Metal songs with some added sparkle. I wasn't keeping tabs on if the symphonies were identical for songs that were featured again but overall it just felt quiet and less involved than before.

That being said one delight to behind where the new songs. They sounded fantastic! After a couple of years its proven they fit in alongside Metallica's many hits and the symphonic gloss worked ever so well, even if just a complimentary element. S&M2 is hardly a bad experience but it really doesn't offer anything more bar the newer songs. There was also an opertunity to take the two Classical songs and spice them up with some Metal but the one track they did this on was simply a disappointment. Its hardly surprising that retreading old footsteps hasn't yielded anything special here.

 

Rating: 5/10

Nas "King's Disease" (2020)

After a disappointing Kanye West collaboration, Nasir, it is great to hear the king of poetry on the mic get back on form with a fully self realized album. Kings Disease has its concept and theme running from front to back, tying the woes of fame and success back into his current adventures and frame of mind with thoughtful maturity. Its a collection of reflections and life lessons, Nas brings his wisdom and knowledge to us through his lyrical prowess, just as hes always done.

Hip Hop however is a game of two halves and initially a source of excitement, the instrumental aesthetic gleam of its opening track dulls swiftly. Heavily Kanye inspired, a voice oriented production of soulful sample stitched together in peaked, distortion embracing styling dominates the opening tone. Initially grabbing, it becomes somewhat of a drone when the colour fades. Being the statement affirming track, it ends up becoming a fumbling start to the record.

Past this moment its sharp percussive beats and blue pianos paint most these songs with a jazzy, soulful uplift reminiscent of the 70s with a shade of street smarts. Its rooted though, no nostalgia trip, firm urban vibes perfect to resonate with the songs various themes. Although they don't deliver diversity instrumentally, the consistency its helped along by the short nature of these songs. They house his verses with purpose, never stretching the material, keeping it all concise.

This is helped along by a fair number of features, including The Firm, bringing Dr. Dre out of the shadows for a brief but underwhelming appearance. AZ returns on the track too, great to hear his Mafioso style is still potent. Without diving into the topicality with any specificity, its mostly mature, level headed thought around the struggles of black life in America in this day and age. Not straying into any contentious or polarizing avenues, Nas paints a path forward, an air of uplift about where things could go. Its a natural current of positive he emanates, or possibly that I perceive.

Nas is still on point, his knack for swift poetic flows interwoven with street talk is firm and proud but without surprises or aces up the sleeve it leaves one wishing for a little more. Kings Disease ticks all the boxes but after a few spins sits a strange place where the excitement has dulled. Perhaps this is one to come back to after some absence has brewed and see how it sounds once again.

Rating: 7/10

Haken "Virus" (2020)

 

Some albums demand attention. Occasionally that attentive listening seems inexhaustible. The more I spin Virus, the further I feel from writing my commentary. It takes this moment, currently immersed in its brilliance to spew a barrage of thoughts. Haken have several albums under their belt and either through maturity or deliberation they seem to have cultivated a level of excellence here. It cuts all the fat to deliver a fifty minute experience simply brimming with octane Progressive Metal. Perhaps it is the freshness of it all but so far Virus stands out as their to date.

Prosthetic opens the album with a pitch perfect snare sound to immediately illuminate the fine production as guitars come crashing in among the choppy pedal driven beats. Some of its riffs have an uncanny familiarity with the popular variety of Metal akin to Slipknot in their current more melodic era. Its a constant roll of excellent arrangements pulling no cheap tricks. Invasion bridges the mood with a gloomy darker tone and slower pace, brooding in anticipation of the coming ten minute epic Carousel.

Its around this point the lyrics distinguish an idiosyncratic quality. Phrases and sayings known culturally seem to frequent the tapestry of sentences, leaping from the stance as they peak attention with their linking themes. The albums lyrics mostly deals with themes of abuse, suffering and mental distress, a powerful weight not exaggerated through its crunching metallic template. The guitars instead craft meaty measured grooves, forging a matured atmosphere to house the lyrical vision at hand.

Even as it periodically dives into the "breakdown" realm of riffing, the compositions feel purposeful as the music sways in and out of varying temperaments often glistened by Jennings's beautiful clean vocals that soar with harmony. Being typically progressive the music ventures in all directions in a never ending liveliness that is simply put, just continuously exciting. It's typically Haken but with a keener metallic edge mixed stunningly into their colorful music this time around.

Messiah Complex stands as a seventeen minute epic split into five parts. It continues the theme on but often feels a shade behind the opening songs. That shade however is nothing to dwell on. The whole record is simply remarkable but so dense with riffs and details to engulf. I leave it for now knowing I'll be able to return over and over, discovering new intricacies and details, that is the mark of a great record! Time will tell but for now its been one of those I couldn't put down and for good reason.

Rating: 9/10

Backxwash "Stigmata" (2020)

Fantastic timing! Having just digested the dizzying and grim God Has Nothing To Do With This, this new Stigmata EP drops another three tracks in the same vein, along with an instrumental piece to see it out. Backxwash has been one of the more remarkable discoveries this year and more of her darkly Hip Hop sound is very welcome. With these three tracks on continual rotation the hook on Stigma and the various evil incarnations of sound lurking in these instrumentals have drilled in like ear worms. Most noticeable are the voices, each number bringing on guests to flesh out the tone alongside Backxwash's potent flows and shadowy production. It comes with a similar flow and consistency to the album, as to be expected I guess.

The title track grabs attention with a releaving tone as bright pianos bring a sense of uplift to rather dark and repressive slabs of guitar distortion weighing it down in tension. Its like a lone light escaping from the bleak abyss! The final instrumental too peaks my interest with samples from the classic Doom game distinguishing although its a rather uneventful stint in mild darkly noises. Reminded me of A Silhouette In Splinters by Leviathan. Great EP, just more from an exciting sound, possibly leftovers. Definitely an artist to keep a close eye on.

Rating: 5/10

City Morgue "Toxic Boogaloo" (2020)

 

The City Morgue duo are back with another barrage of obnoxious violent raps, spitting hate and threats in all directions. Following up on the first two style defining volumes, this twenty minute EP brings a firm, metallic tinted production to their typical arrangement of hook oriented outbursts of intense energy. Better enjoyed in brief stints, Toxic Boogaloo benefits from a swift lineup touting quality over quantity. As to be expected, vile raps, boastful aggression and abhorrent attitudes guide the lyrical assault on the listener as we are plunged into the fury of violent youthful rebellion.

Further developing their fusion of Trap Metal, the instrumentals toy with big dirty bass lines pushing deep into peak distortions. This noise foray paired with gritty FL Slayer distortion sounds pushes the chemistry further into dark urban avenues. Although a little groove a rhythm arrives through the guitars, its mainly an aesthetic compliment to tracks driven by pounding Trap percussion with darkly sounding samples and synths brooding moods. Its a clear step up from what they achieved beforehand.

Lyrically, its the same game again. For me that is mostly a novel gawking session at the level of ridiculousness on display. The two have an undeniable talent for style, delivery and catchy hooks but the slew of spiteful anger has little in the way of depth. Hurtworld '99 gets a shout for its running letters of hurt, which yield a personal angle with its timing of the world you. It feels like they reach in and grab way more from a single word with how its worked into the hook. Its a keen moment among a few others. If the duo keep moving in this direction it sounds like their is room for growth.

Rating: 5/10

Ho99o9 "Blur" (2020)

 

  As one of the more exciting acts to follow, the regularity of new material is always welcome. Hot off the heals of Cyber Warfare, the duo offer up another keenly themed mini album to digest. Blur is intermittent with snippets and samples of what sounds like eighties and nineties media hysteria over the emergence of loud and aggressive music in the form of Hardcore and Heavy Metal. The fear and rhetoric feels relevant to their twisted hybrid of dark Hip Hop and Hardcore Punk, ironically the music these talking heads were commenting on is meager and tame in comparison.

These thirty four minutes split along ten tracks feel like a call back to Mutant Freakx and their earlier releases. The bulk of music focuses on slower tempos, twisted and sinister atmospheres built from unhinged beats. Vocally the raps and hooks revel in ambiguity and discernible performances, occasionally lashing out with mean tonged aggressive verse of the Trap Metal variety. Each track is like being dipped into a different dimension of eerie unease as its slowly burns away.

Drifting from that norm, Flesh And Blood has a burst of tempo and Punk energy for the albums shortest affair. With only three tracks led by distortion guitar, Dog Shit takes the cake for being a ferocious riot, unleashing ravenous energy through its dirty riffing. Its brief, housed by samples and the dingy atmosphere the album revels in. Hardcore makes a distinct break from all this with a style and format that ultimately seems like a piss take aimed at Tyler The Creator, ripping off the attributes of his fantastic music.

Compared to the last two stints, it hasn't pushed my buttons as Id like given I am more drawn to their metallic side. It has however been a enjoyable listen with a host of tracks to stuck into but my ultimate take away is the darkly atmospheres don't deliver quite the engagement after multiple spins, it becomes a slow burn as the mystique wares off having deciphered the somewhat cryptic musics facade.

Rating: 6/10

Mushroomhead "A Wonderful Life" (2020)

 

  What words to muster for this record? Its been tough to find them. Almost twenty years on from XX there is little stylistic evolution beyond the general trends of modern Metal. Keeping their unique balance between distorted guitars and Classical toned keyboards the band offer up a heaving bulk of mediocrity at seventy minutes. If you cut the runtime by over half you might have something reasonable but its biggest downfall is how interspersed the projects better material is.

A Wonderful Life sounds like it has an arching theme with some recurring lyrics of pain and struggle, so neatly packaged it feels hard to relate with. Its inline with the tone of "light" European Metal, often female fronted, that puts emphasis on clean singing and routine reductions of intensity. A couple tracks stray right into this territory and others linger nearby sticking to their distinct style. There is nothing wrong with that sound but its a temperament that fails to stir emotional resonance with me.

A couple of songs in the mid section play up big theatrical themes with slow unravellings and a sense of grandiose story telling with the music. Its reasonable but far from being remarkable. Again the lyrical themes seem to play up suffering with a lack of resonance. It ties in to the opening barrage of intense operatic singing which rears its ugly head again towards the end and on the closing track. Again, nothing wrong with this but it feels so out of place, a rigid attempt to compliment the theme.

Overall its been a few sluggish spins with some moments of intrigue but mostly dull and drawn out songwriting dressed up by the bands aesthetic and intensity which is enjoyable. Its a competent production so listenable but hardly a memorable one.

Rating: 4/10

Lord Lovidicus "Midsummer" (2020)

 

  Its felt like a lengthy, patient wait but alas! The time has come again for another installment in the Lord Lovidicus journey. Steering further from Dungeon Synth and deeper into the Fantasy realm, another evolution in tone is of no surprise. Its aquatic theme, or at least my interpretation of Midsummer, has been however! Actually, many parts of it are comparable to A Vespera Ad Lucem but between passageways of temperaments listeners will be more accustom to are flourishes and swells of expression akin to Debussy and the Romantic era, at least to my limited perceptions.

The record has jollity and beauty in abundance. Long gone is the lurking mystery of Dungeon Synth darkness. These songs use luscious instruments and cheerful melodies to steer the music through warm hearted adventures of carefree Fantasy. Flutes, piccolos, layers of synth and tambourine lead percussion build up inviting and immersive atmospheres. The compositional balance is wonderful, repeating sections and simple woven melodies seem interspersed with lead instruments dancing on inspiration at just the right intensity to serve both background and forefront listening.

To my ears, the album finds constraints where the music is held back by its production and format. Some of those aforementioned lead instruments rise up and act like the songs voice. Too often do they feel held back by the time locked and rigid nature of virtual instruments. A little looseness would free up the creativity. Also the indulgent reverbs get a little overpowering when too many instruments are active at the same time. Jeux D'eau is a keen example of both, a beautiful song of instruments dancing on a whim, following heart and soul with a dexterous composition fluttering with complexities that sound cramped by thees issues, despite being utterly wonderful.

In my mind there is no doubt this musicians journey is going in the right direction. This latest divergence of theme is refreshing and the underlying components of skill and inspiration are yielding the magic as ever but as pointed out extensively, this feels like a moment where the technology holds back the music. That however has not held back my immense enjoyment of these simply wonderful starlight atmospheres that conjure underwater aquatic adventures in my humble imagination. Brilliant!

Rating: 8/10