Willow "Lately I Feel Everything" (2021)

 

Arriving at Willow's third record, endearing blemishes of youthful nativity emerge. Heart-brake pains and relationship woes dominate its theme. Musically, a similar line is tread. Both sway between raw adolescent reactivity and insightful, matured expressions. On its latter half, collaborations with Travis Barker boldly mimic teenage Pop Punk tracks of the early 00s, devoid of originality yet persuasive with repetitions.

The middle of the record is where the bulk of its magic lays. Instrumentals deviate from the opening simplistic pop appeal. Swells of grungy guitar distortions, dreamy acoustic reverberations and creative drum machine arrangements pull these songs to the edges of Shoegaze, Indie Rock and Emo, blurring lines along the way.

Typically, Willow sings from the soul, drifting around the texture of these tracks like a free spirit, often with power over softness, she occasionally roars into life with soft screams. On the softer side, soaring cadences amplify her thoughtful, introspective words. It turns the topicality of once immature anthems into reflective journeys. Its a curiosity to me how a tracks tone shapes ones experience, two contrasting sides of essentially the same expressive coin.

Lately I Feel Everything is mostly an exploration of an alternative umbrella of distortion guitar adjacent music. Willow crashes the party, muddying up ideas with an aesthetic rawness and endearing amateurish aesthetic. A perfect fit for the genre. Not quite as persuasive as whats to follow but also tainted by these interruptions of type-cast teeny bop music I despised in my youth. Naive and XTRA where the highlights for me.

Rating: 6/10

Opeth "The Last Will And Testament" (2024)

 

This fine record has brought several weeks of routine enjoyment, however the latest offering from these veterans suffers its own familiar identity. Having toyed with distancing themselves from metallic roots, the journey back to aggressive aesthetics, befitting of their early days, brings little freshness to their distinction. The Last Will And Testament attempts to layer in a richer symphonic tone, which often gets swept under its gallivant lead guitar melodies and grandiose riffs. So to does a clear concept about class and inheritance get thrown around in spoken work sections between salient singing and meaty death growls. Neither of these elements seem to break the familiar spell Opeth cast, with their usual touch of majestic spirit. Thus the record spins its wheels through grand constructs of Progressive Metal that often feel recast from the depths of their extensive back-catalog. Strident and assured, the record plays exquisitely, its lead melodies often catching the ear as expressive motifs to set the tone for its big vision. Continuously we weave through intensities but sadly, all in the shadow of comprehension. For all the magic this band have bestowed, it lacks anything new to say. Enjoyable but none of these tracks leap from the page.

Rating: 6/10

Body Count "Merciless" (2024)

 

Now years deep into their triumphant resurgence, the legendary cop killing Body Count return with a fair helping of 90s styled Metal stints to rock, shock and entertain. Serving as a mouth piece for Ice-T's likable angered rants, these loud instrumentals play a fair game. Serving up competent ravishing's of that era's tone, fans like myself can lap it up but lets not be shy, there is little here we have not heard before.

Beyond selecting some preferred cuts from the offering of mid tempo songs driven by aggressive riffs, attention turns to Ice-T's presence. His plain language, dripped in profanities and frustrations, flow relatable and clear to understand. Behind the often grislily lyrics, an undercurrent for peace and prosperity may pass some by.

The packaging is where my critique lands. Fun and enjoyable but the albums best hooks and concepts feel borrowed. From Demo-crips and Re-bloodicans, to the movie concept of The Purge, a helping of thematic concepts have obvious origins. That and an interesting cover of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb with David Gilmour revealing his typical unabashed directness. Oddly intriguing but most of the time endearing. 

Pulling in legends like Corpsegrinder and Max Cavalera is a welcome delight on this fiery horror show album. They bring great performances. Its nice to see more collaberation like this which has been sorely missing in the past. Merciless wont reinvent their live show but brings hours of entertainment through some fresh songs with their classic Body Count motif.

Rina Sawayama "Rina" (2017)

 

 It turns out Sawayama was not Rina's debut. This one flew under my radar, a twenty four minute EP released a few years prior. Self funded and independently released only piles on the praise for what initially felt like a tacky take on 00s Pop. Getting past a couple of mediocre tracks, familiarity revealed the subtle powers of brief tuneful melodies and glossy aesthetics centered around her persuading voice.

Early themes paint a sense of glitz and glam, ambitions of a rising star. Cheery, upbeat production with punchy drums drawing on touches of 80s Synthpop and soft Alt Rock guitars opens the record. These nostalgic reaches into the past reoccur through classy production. It flows through a variety of song ideas, none feel original, yet an intriguing assembly of ideas pulling from the past thirty years of Pop music.

 Tunnel Vision drifts into a dreamy avenue, shifting to introspective thoughts. Deploying vulnerable expressions makes for awkward lyrics hinting at smartphone addiction among relationship woes. Its a muddled message. Much of the record has this ambiguous feeling as to which way her words lean. Presenting a bold face with a hint of distress. This lyrical fuzziness is more likely to be at fault with me.

Overall, I'm impressed. This Rina EP strikes me as a leap of faith, a talent unleashed raw and keen, simply getting started and turning up trumps. It doesn't coalescing around a specific vision yet its best songs achieves their own merits. Its been a joyful dive into ideas reminiscent of great songs without being specific.

Rating: 6/10

Cane Hill "A Piece Of Me I Never Let You Find" (2024)

 

Leaning into their aggressive side, Cane Hill return with a refined amalgamation of the Nu Metal revival, drifting towards the extremes of Hardcore Djent akin to Thrown. Doused in an aesthetic exhilaration similar to an emerging Argent Metal, the band struggle in harmonizing their loud quiet dynamics. A slew of bombastic, even barbaric, syncopated rhythmic riffs stand in contrast to the melodic charms of Elijah Witt. His presence heals the record, offering gleams of uplift in intensity lulls, as infectious crooning hooks bring an emotive memorability to its incessant "over the top" hostility.

The enthusiastic bounce and groove of Nu Metal's influence feels absent as low end guitars churn out harsh brutalities. Routinely focusing on meaty slabs of slamming Djent tone, they lack any character to shape up a songs heavier aspects. As a result, we embark on a cycling slog through empty onslaughts of crunching guitar noise. Spliced with sporadic fret sounds, layered with subtle dystopian synths, the most expressive moments arrive in the big chords left to ring out under clean vocal breaks.

Left to spin in the background, this record simply drifts by. Its hooky breaks grabbing ones attention every time. On closer analysis, these tend to be the only moments that create memorability. Thus its best comes from the soft moody interludes and Witt's clean break outs. Permanence In Sleep and I Always Knew We Were Do have the best choruses, a delight when they arrive. A Piece Of Me I Never Let You Find crudely pushes senseless violence together with a charactered emotional magnetism, falling short on writing memorable songs in the process.

Rating: 6/10

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

Old Tower "Portrait Of A Medieval Presence " (2024)

On form, like its impressive predecessor Draconic Synthesis, Old Tower continues in a chilling stride, painting eight unnamed portraits of meditative Dark Ambience. Set in Medieval times, these soundscapes yolk an esoteric mythos from embellished nostalgia of ancient, eerie times. These lonely atmospheres linger on delicate aesthetics, chiming ambiguity with soft instrumentation and scenic sound design. Whispering voices in the distance, unsettled fire crackling, ritualistic chants of worship and mysterious murmurs all lurch within these shadowy slices of lost time.

Mostly subdued and one dimensional upon inspection, the mastery emerges when attention is split. A powerful current of persuasion shapes ones mood as the rhythm of each picture settles in. Portrait V is the most animation, a rattle of perverse church bells call out over the cold countryside. Each eruption of bells is jarring. Portrait I opens the record with a beautifully chilling organ climaxing the short songs conclusion with drama. These moments of instrument augmentation are often a key delight.

Portrait VIII was my favorite. The arrival of percussion pivots the song into a mystical stride, its shimmering synths conjuring the sense of a cryptic presence. It rides these feeling well, as do many songs, establishing an aching ambience with nightly terror and occult suggestion lurking safely at a distance. Another impressive effort, perhaps constrained a little by these notions of Portraits. They feel perfectly suited as soundtrack moments for a horror film or evil themed video game.

 Rating: 6/10

Ulver "Locusts" (2024)

 

With a strident return to form, Ulver delivers again on his intelligent renditions of matured Synthpop. After a couple of shaky releases, Locusts rediscovers balance. Steeped in dusky atmospheres, classy compositions layer up dreamy instrumentation for his voice to shine like a light guiding the way forward. Steady baselines peruse and pristine keyboard tones shimmer in a dense dance, lush and brim. Melodies play fractured, subdued, diverse, allowing emotion to amass from its parts, without steeling focus from our front man who steps into the stage light, suited up and proper.

Its a smart, intelligent set of songs with a soft city nightlife vibe reminiscent of an older generation. Accents of New Wave, Art Pop and Dance music show distinctive influences, perfectly reworked to suit this breezy pace. The record stars slow and withheld, a minimal take on the formulae to come. The opening title track lunges into its big synth kicks towards its conclusion but the proceeding Nocturne #2 reminded me of Peter Gabriel, a Worldbeat influenced tangent slow and meandering. Its a great conjuring of softly esoteric mood yet halts the show from starting somewhat.

The other installment of Nocturne interjects between these snugly paired songs with a broody rendition of droning synths. Powerful, dark and dreary yet adrift from the records overall tone. The rest of its songs play an effortless pleasure, dazzling and soulful in their own way. Very enjoyable yet feels a little light in variety. What detours it does offer drift from its solid foundations. Curation is possibly its culprit.

Rating: 6/10

Eminem "The Marshall Mathers LP 2" (2013)

 

Sequel to his notorious Marshall Mathers LP, this lengthy, convoluted follow up strikes me as a turning point. Passing beyond the woes of his return to the game, Em no longer embodies the moment his iconic guile. Arguably one of his most impressive lyrical bouts, no ambitious rhyme scheme or dexterous flow can save it from circling back on the past. Loaded with witty wordplay, call backs and ferocious energy, his topicality spins a tired trend. Forever locked horns with his usual cast of demons, the latest wrestles bestow entertaining reflections but lack a lasting impression.

Picking up where Recovery left off, the inclusion of Pop stars Rihanna, Sia & Skylar Gray sit among a mix of ideas. Arena Rock kicks, tributes to classic 80s era Hip Hop, lightly "experimental" leaning beats and throw backs to the original record. It makes for an unsettled listen, shifting tone frequently, while perusing across the spectrum of his prior work. There's a track for each record but sadly no Slim Shady resurrection.

 Rap God is an obvious highlight, a moment where concept, execution and substance align for an impressive, if not slightly repetitive song, culminating in a status affirming technical feat. Early on, a handful of beats charm alongside crafty lyricism. There is plenty more in patches to be heard, with Em frequently verging on fiery shout raps delivering his cheeky quips. Although his passionate energy is always present, its as if Eminem is pushing himself more so for the art form than led by his emotions.

That reactionary dynamic once fueled his genius in the past. This shift away started with Recovery. Familiar with the rest of his discography, it ended here. MMLP2 is one mighty swing for the ropes but leaves me impressed rather than connected, as Em circles the usual themes with a lack of freshness to drive a point home. True for much of the record, yet of course he does the complete opposite on his victory lap Rap God.

Rating: 6/10

Eminem "Recovery" (2010)

Reading between the lines of his bars, its obvious the unsavory critical response to Relapse greatly shaped this followup record's direction. Full of enthusiasm for the craft, a scraped sequel has Em questioning himself. The poor reception causes metal turmoils, grappling with his relationship to fame, stature as an artist and the departure of his best friend. This distress makes for tender moments of vulnerability between the usual spats of foul mouthed provocative profanity. Of course, its all channeled through his classic energetic flow and knack for wordplay, which is occasionally rather juvenile.

Recovery's main distinction is the tone of its production. Doubting the direction of his planned sequel, Em parts ways with Dr. Dre, teaming up with the hot producers of this era. For me, they fail to craft grabbing instrumentals, deploying trendy soft-Trance synths and stiff drum patterns. In my opinion, they don't compliment Em yet don't hold him back either. His lyrics carry the usual dynamism one would expect. It's no surprise my favorite beat Ridaz, a bonus track, was produced by Dre. His style is timeless.

His story telling, introspection untangling verses are the records staying power. Featured guests barely make a mark, working with big names of the time, Em casts them in his shadow. A couple of odd interpolations crop up. No Love resurrects Haddaway's 93 classic, transforming the tuneful hit into a peculiar Dance-Rap hybrid. The sung hooks are a touch wild, an aspect that occasionally gets grinding as Em lacks restraint on the limits of his vocal range.Going Through Changes is another, using Ozzy Osbourne's classic voice and yearning strings from the original.

 

Definitely the smoother of the two. Overall, Recovery is a solid listen but I walk away from it lacking the sticky songs that keep you coming back for more. Sticking to the original Relapse 2 plan would of have been mile better. Em is firmly in form on this one, its the pieces around it that are not quite to my preference sadly.

 

Rating: 6/10

Last Wishes "Organized Hate" (2022)

 

 

Conjuring echos vague echos of 80s Crossover Thrash and 90s Alternative Metal, Last Wishes play classic beat-down Hardcore with a familiar flare. I'd avoid baiting nostalgia but all my points of reference reach back to bygone eras. This production packages the music convincingly, feeling as if it would fit snugly into a glorious 90s.

 

Armed with throaty shouts, softened guitar distortions and plenty of percussive groove, the aesthetics achieved greatly compliment the music. Gang shouts, two steps rhythms and routinely dropping into half-time all accompany on this feisty ride of channeled anger. The usual topics of loyalty, self empowering attitude and social frustrations get vented through the unchanging scream of front man Corin.

All these tropes may sound antiquated but Last Wishes execute this vision with an arsenal of competent riffs fit for purpose. Its an endearing record, reaching for a specific inspiration and finding it. No remarkable peaks are summited yet it holds its tone firmly for the twenty six minute stint. I happen to be quite keen on this arrangement, it routinely reminded me fondly of classic records from my youth.

 

Rating: 6/10

2Pac "R U Still Down? (Remember Me)" (1997)

 

Decades have passed since I last enjoyed one of 2Pac's many posthumous records. I barely remember this double album, loaded with a hundred minutes of the iconic rapper going at it alone. Released thirteen months past his death, it reeks of a rushed release. A lack of vision or focus swiftly becomes evident, Pac's raps arrive from different eras on top of demo level beats that loop at a bare minimum. Even basic techniques like dropping instruments in and out to add some variety seem missing.

Disc one houses more of his 95 era flows. Fresh outta jail on a mission to record as many raps before his impending demise, these lively verses recycle so many of the tempos, tropes and topics of his All Eyez On Me double album. More thuggish, less thoughtful, many of them recorded in one take, Pac's motto at the time. Among them, cuts like Open Fire and Nothing To Loose from my favorite era, Strictly, are a delight.

 Disc two, my favored, mostly houses outtakes from then to Me Against The World. The instrumentals seem like the demo's from that era too. Hearing his pitch shifted raps return makes it clear why those takes didn't make the original cut. Do For Love and Nothin But Love hit hard, as do some of his verses heard elsewhere among a weighty catalog of posthumous material. The original verses of Changes are here too.

Its hard to acknowledge this as much more than a collection of demos. Without Pac's creative input, it feels hands off, the producers aiming to preserve original vibes. R U Still Down does have an eerie foreshadowing of his tragic fate lingering within the lyrics, not unusual given that perspective lurched in his prior records. Besides familiar bars used elsewhere, a few novelties emerged. Beats similar to Snoop's Gzs & Hustlers and Black Moon's Buck Em Down. Given all were released in 93, I wonder if these were instrumentals Pac passed up. Credits suggest coincidence.

Rating: 6/10

Hank Trill "Propane Pays The Bills" (2022)

 

 

Parody album? Absolutely! Swaying with chilled southern charm, the soft yet tightly wound voice of mild mannered cartoon character Hank Hill gets bastardized into a reckless drug peddling propane pimp. Flipping this 90s uptight conservative dad into a modern Trap rapper slinging braggadocios rhymes is a barrel of laughs on first exposure. In my case, bringing me to tears. As you might expect, the joke does wear off with time but its particular novelty kept me hooked for longer than expected.

 

The concept of gangster Hank saves this record, otherwise its slowed southern beats and swaggered rhymes would go passed over as mediocre, atypical of the scene. His stature lands so many otherwise weak and obvious plays. Behind the voice, a great impressionist, possibly aided by AI, seems keen on quantity over quality. With another twenty one albums proceeding this, the buck stops here for me but thanks to Spotify's shuffle, a fair hand full of tracks off other records emerge just as amusing.

Its nice to document this for myself and fans of King Of The Hill, I will definitely tune in on occasion for a laugh. Boomhower's indecipherable features are a firm highlight, as is his Rap God cover available on YouTube. My takeaway, however, is a missed opportunity to really refine and laser focus this joke into something unshakable. Instead, its been swiftly played out with a slew of low effort raps. Oh man god damn!

Rating: 6/10

Eminem "The Death Of Slim Shady" (2024)

 

Reviving to supposedly retire his cynical alter ego Slim Shady, the aging rapper takes another stab at resurrecting the glory from his monumental output at the turn of the millennium. Exploring all approaches, Em arrives armed with fresh controversies to spark, simultaneously using Slim as a shield for his lyrical ills. On the sequel to his classic Dr.Dre collaboration Guilty Conscience, the two exchange blows, juvenile insults and even reflective thoughts in a game of passing the blame baton.

It highlights an underlying lack of cohesion. Well past the prime of his controversies, these multiple perspectives shed the record of feeling like the force of nature he once was. We are however treated to some of Em's best rhymes in decades. I'm suspicious of AI involvement. Slim Shady and Marshall Mather's era flows unravel with his youthful tone intact. Ominous at times, its like stepping into a time machine. The vicious track Antichrist unites voices from across his past on a wild ride of crude insults, snarky remarks and plenty of name calling. Impressive but also edgy.

Other highlights include Road Rage's beat switch to land his Juvenile rhyme in homage to a Southern classic. Houdini's fun, reviving his classic formula of recycling songs from the hook outwards. The South Park references and other echos feel a lot like fan service. Outrageous skit tracks, quirky backing voice snaps and uncouth spoken interludes to paint unhinged scenes. Enjoyable but the charm fades swiftly.

One track, Temporary, stands apart. Tender, endearing and vulnerable, Eminem expresses an estranged relationship with his daughter, who became somewhat of a character in the lore of his old records. Despite this sweet emotional out poor, Em's plain flow and underwhelming instrumental sours this brilliant moment, interwoven with humbling recordings between the two when Hailey was just a child. It feels like album closer Somebody Save Me tries to remedy this with a melancholic anthem.

The Death Of Slim Shady is a mixed bag that could of easily been worse. Mostly mediocre but plenty flickers of past brilliance emerge, his guests rise above Em's average bars to spice things up. Still ruminating on old topics, stirring the pot of controversy is simply past his moment in popular culture. Despite that, Em overcomes the lack of thematic relevancy with genuinely entertaining music, despite questionable lyrics at times, its a good listen with some new favorites to add to your lists.

Rating: 6/10

$uicideboy$ "New World Depression" (2024)

 

Slick Southern Rap duo $uicideboy$ return afresh. Having built a cult fan base from the ground up, New World Depression marks another benchmark, their highest billboard charting to date! Impressive, but not reflective of the albums substance. Spending weeks with these cuts, Ive felt the sparkle fade gradually. Now accustom with their dreary tuneful sing-raps, slanted Southern cadences and difficult topicality, their routine of snappy beats and weighty rhymes fizzles into just that, a routine.

The closing stretch catches my ear. Covering U.N.L.V's classic Drag Em N Tha River makes for a memorable shift in tone. Stabbing string jabs and a jarring piano riff mixes up the mood. Its proceeded by the records darkest and best track. Us Vs Them ushers in criminal melodies mustering a tone for stealthy mischief as the pair rap devious carefree threats. The Thin Grey Line indulges in a similar mysteria, the beat conjuring conspiratorial vibes for the duo to exchange their sharpest flows.

Mostly dabbling with moody, glum instrumentals, brief moments of insightful lyricism fall between the cracks of boisterous showboating wordplay. Relatable messaging of struggles and drug abuse dull as a result. Previously their words soared. Its either familiarity or the routine I alluded too but New World Depression simply entertains before fading from consciousness. Competent record, but lacking a fresh spark.

Rating: 6/10

Vince Staples "Dark Times" (2024)

 

Dark Times had me reflect upon Vince's past. The bassy House and percussive Latino influences felt on Big Fish Theory and FM!, in retrospect, were exciting, fresh and distinct. Hard edged and gangster, yet fun and catchy too, a keenly crafted sound time has served well. In 2024, Staples arrives soft and subdued, his casual wordy raps sullen, ruminate on the pains of balancing fame friends and family among other hurts.

With glum spirit and dreary tone, he flows over slow burdensome beats. Downtrodden tunes drift by dreamy and haunting, utilizing soft hazy synths, shadowy pianos and ambiguous plucked melodies. Its musical themes and flavor lingers in the past. Echos of 90s Gangster Rap Funk influences linger among the jazzy soulful East Coast counterpart. Snappy percussion mostly shapes it to the current era of Hip Hop.

Vince offers a very honest expression, vulnerable, direct and tender, unambiguously sharing his troubled state of mind to be reflected through its moody instrumental direction. These songs feel individually crafted with intention and meaning in mind. Engulfing, yet when flirting with darkness, if the music doesn't offer reprisal and catharsis from that difficult mindset it can be encumbering upon the listener.

Sadly, that was my big takeaway from Dark Times, feeling Vince's troubles dragging down the mood. That's not to dunk on the record, its a fair piece of art but without moments for sunlight to peak through the clouds, it plays a downer. Impressive in its honesty, however I find myself unable to vibe with its brooding intensity right now.

Rating: 6/10

Tineidae & Sole Massif "Remnants Of War" (2024)

 

Although Remnants Of War is themed around the aftermath of AI fulled armageddon, I could not escape its dramatic cover art. Reminiscent of the cult Japanese Cyberpunk flick Tetsuo, I've absorbed this one with metallic body horror in mind. Learning now of its true intention, the cinematic vision locks into place. These desolate soundscapes paint dystopian terror as the unease of soft synths collide with ghostly mechanical buzzes and whirling sparks, echoing on through tainted winds. Worbling electronic voices churn from automated warfare wreckage, a poisoned landscape, terrain now littered with cybernetic corpses. As far as eyes see, an endless sprawl of technological annihilation claims mother nature herself as collateral damage.

Its only tuneful moments stem from brief surges of soulless arpeggio saw-wave cycling. It births intense motion out of lifeless scenery. The tension derived suggests the presence of a surviving robotic killing machine, scanning the area for life, a dangerous prospect for us observers. Otherwise its charm resides in dense atmospheric dark ambience, littered with sound effect design to paint maddening scenarios in the mind of the listener. My favorite moments are the subtle whirls and buzzes, hints of wrecked machines with robotic systems attempting to function. So too, distorted voices add mystery. Seeming like scrambled recordings they possibly hint human life is transmitting from somewhere... or are simply remnants of the war.

Rating: 6/10

Silent Planet "Superbloom" (2023)

 

Here's an interesting release labeled under the emerging Argent Metal genre. For their fifth outing, Progressive Metalcore outfit Silent Planet pivot to a Djent driven aesthetic redesign of brutality, envisioned by producer Mick Gordan with his iconic Doom soundtrack eight years back. Shades of the bands Metalcore origins mostly remain in vocalist Garrett Russel's raging throaty shouts and bitting lyrical cadence. Otherwise, they have fully embraced a fusion of low end guitars with Industrial synths to layer on dense, rhythmic shunting of force as the driving component in the music.

Superbloom has a clear artistic vision I haven't fully clicked with, an aesthetic smothering, powerful and intense yet often lacking melody and memorability. Its meaty slabs of rhythmic assault seem to miss out on the groove or elastic sway others like Meshuggah have used to bring me around. Behind theese jolting punts of guitar noise, darkly synths lay interwoven, reinforcing momentum and often providing a luminous sense of color. Its sadly just aesthetic dressing in absence of melody. Occasionally swift arpeggios emerge, or swelling chords but always lacking a hook.

The best moments come in climaxes, where intensity surges with a luminous stream of color blooming through its dense synth design. A peak blesses the album on its title track conclusion, tying a bow on its conceptual nature as "I'll rest for now in the Superbloom" leads into a stunning glide of epic proportion. These ascending sections were my favorites among a looping slog of sporadic fret-board leaping riffs that carried little meaning beyond the fist throwing aggressions of jolting Djent guitars.

In conclusion, I've spent enough time to acknowledge Superbloom's class yet find myself not fully sold on this new aesthetic direction. Its gorgeous to listen to but the songwriting suffers as its tracks drift into mood, rather than casting one under its spell to march to its beat. The idea of Argent Metal has its merits but until it delivers something truly innovative in terms of song writing, it will mostly feel like cosmetics.

Rating: 6/10

Steve Roach, Kevin Braheny & Michael Stearns "Desert Solitaire" (1987)

 

Mesmerized by opening track Flatlands, my morning walks exploring the cliffy sandstone shores of southern Portugal were elevated by its meditative qualities. Fit for the sunny Mediterranean climate, a rhythmic trance of exotic percussion guides us through unforgettable swells of dense soothing tone. Cycling through several stellar synths, blushes of warmth arrive on the heels of the prior rescinding surge. Emotions stir through apt chord selections on occasion too. Its a remarkable track, one I've returned to often, however this time, I was reminded that its appearance on Journeys To The Infinite, which I've covered previously, was a hand picked compilation of works.

I'm sadden to report, Desert Solitaire does not expand its opening majesty. More so, it picks apart its pieces, rearranging them into lengthy stints, sharing those initial aesthetic suggestions. With a theme of solitude in desolate regions, scorn by the heat of our sun in daytime, the record quietly picks through temperaments, moments of grandeur and scenic suggestions all laid bare through competent track titling.

A handful of songs try too cut the mold, Knowledge & Dust deploys an irritating stereo-pan, attempting trippy disorientation. Shiprock shifts its instrumental drone with a shrill cutting synth to usher in eerie nightly sounds. Empty Time returns this high pitched whine to conjure in baron horns and percussion on a lifeless wandering that seems to leads nowhere. These three are also the weaker pieces on the record.

Labyrinth feels completely out of place, a nightly spell of bleak, cloud swept skies converging on imitate dusk. A lurch of conspiracy and lonely unease wrestles with its subtle reliefs of tension that dissipate like waves on a beach. Its a stunning piece of darkly atmosphere but more fitting of a Dungeon Synth record to these ears.

The other remaining songs flesh out the tones heard on Flatlands. Those swells of tone, now elongated into soothing drones to transform your imaginations. Its all to typical of this genre to comment on deeper but a handful of them merit return for conjuring these meditative moods, this time with a warmer climate than usual.

Rating: 6/10

Potatohead People "Eat Your Heart Out" (2024)

 

A snug fit for rising temperatures hitting us here in England, Eat Your Heart Out has been the soundtrack to my morning walks drenched in glorious summer sun. Jazz Hop duo Potatohead People, refine their tone with a focus on soulful moods and mellow croons, a classy vibe elevated greatly by subtle Funk baselines. They often bustle and bruise with character, bolstering rather subdued Hip Hop beats. Steady tempos arrange cushy kicks, snappy claps and reverberated snares with a breezy softness, grooving rhythms that shy away from becoming the focal point.

 Unlike prior records, only two of its eleven cuts are instrumentals. On both, the lead tones down any individual charisma, a step away from the expressive Jazz Fusion solos like heard before. This puts a notable emphasis on its expanded array of guests, who drop raps and rhymes along with some smooth singing in apt spots. Familiar names return, along with a surprise big hitter from the 90s, Redman.

None of them define the record with any remarkable lyrics, nor do any instrumentals drop illuminating melodies. Without peaks or valleys, the whole records demeanor is a mellow, tranquil vibe. An endearing warmth to relax to, that puts all troubles aside. That's to say, despite having a stellar resonance, nothing deviated from its baseline.

Only Paradise stood apart. With a dreamy shift in tone and sly tropical flavor, shimmering guitars and glistening synths give it a special touch when washed in this glossy reverb. The whole track feels plucked from an 80s fever dream, with Diamond Cafe's vocal performance reminiscent of Michael Jackson's classic high tenor. All in all a warm spin from start to end, full of good vibes but lacking a spark to make it special.

Rating: 6/10