Bolt Thrower "...For Victory" (1994)

I didn't feel like getting deep into another Metal bands catalog. This may be the second and last Bolt Thrower record I write about here. To be frank, there is little of surprise here but its also everything I love, just some good old punishing brutality and mid tempo grooves to head bang too! I picked out ...For Victory as it felt like a sister album to Mercenary. The fidelity is a notch better overall, strange considering this was recorded four years earlier. Heading into the future of their discography, newer records sound a little sterile and thinned out. Looking back, earlier releases suffers the fate of many Extreme Metal records of the time, producers had yet to figure out how to make this music sound decent, something Carcass's Heartwork would change forever.

This album leaves me with just about all the same thoughts as last time. Its Death Metal with an edge for groove and mid-tempo sways of bounce that erupt from the punishing atmosphere. Its a constant barrage, a mighty onslaught of battering drums and dense distortion guitars that churn and grind away, leading onto these out bursts of guitar groove which peak the songs. Its temperament is mean and unending with the intensity barely slowing down, its ten tracks continuing on the same warpath from start to end. Karl Willets barks and houls as the guttural front man is again a take it or leave it situation for me. His presence just tends to drift into the mood of aggression portrayed. Overall its a cracking record if you want that mood. Bar one or two songs having a riff I'm particularly keen on, its a solid, well rounded album that just delivers.

Favorite Tracks: ...For Victory, Lest We Forget, Armageddon Bound

Rating: 7/10

Bolt Thrower "Mercenary" (1998)

I was vaguely aware of the now retired Bolt Thrower from Coventry England. Somehow I had it in mind that they were a Power Metal outfit? Well Bæst and their cover of No Guts, No Glory turned me onto this record and oh boy have I enjoyed it! Mercenary is a moderately simple yet very effective riff led expedition into a torrent of punishing mid tempo grooves. The band's sound borders Death, Thrash and Groove Metal, mostly the first. Its a melting pot of styles swaying between cruising low end melodies and surges of muscular guitar work with momentous persuasion.

The production is admittedly a hurdle to pass, requiring volume as its thick, dense guitars bleed into the consciousness. Its a tad muddy and monotone but serves its purpose as the groove and grind gets to resonate through this burly heaving sound. The drums plays a fantastic roll in illuminating the rhythm guitar, often hammering out steady grooves that pivot to alternates, making the same riff bounce with a renewed energy. Its not flashy and certainly doesn't overbear with blast beats and the like. They simply guide everything along its path with a powerful and effective chemistry.

Like an inconsequential layer of gruesome sound, Karl Willetts shouts his meaty groans and growls with a brutish demeanor. Its a rather atypical guttural performance that rarely breaks stride. It adds little to the music other than a reinforcement of variation over the looping riffs below him. I could take it or leave it. Given the discernible nature of the 90s Death Metal vocal style there was little of the war themed lyrics that came across with any solidity. Some of the easier understood hooks had rhyme and reason to them, especially on the aforementioned No Guts, No Glory.

The best aspect of Mercenary are the riffs, an arsenal of power chords, chugging grooves, low string grinding all spliced with darkly melodies to forge a riveting atmosphere. Its heavy on repetition with short bars being looped, the drums helping them along as the patterns often pivot to revitalize. The heavy is momentous and crushing, the melodies dark and foreboding and their pace moving together is perfect for that infectious head banging a metal head loves. Its the sort of Death Metal I enjoy most, not strictly but with a spice of other sounds. Great record, gotta check out more!

Rating: 7/10

Bæst "Venenum" (2019)

Not long on from discovering this gem of a band, the Danish Death Metal outfit Bæst return, monstrous as ever! Continuing with the brutal Mikael Akerfeldt era Bloodbath sound, they have assembled a collection of lean and powerful, fist clenching tracks to crush and menace listeners with its evil guitar riffs and gut wrenching demonic screams. Broken up only by an equally mediocre Spanish guitar interlude, like before, the record marches through its punishing line up of songs that hold together a brutal atmosphere. Either thumping steady tempos or thrashing hardened sprints, its deployment of intensities always result in gripping gruesome ride through the carnage.

With Nihil the lead guitar emulates Egyptian vibes similar to that of Death Metal legends Nile. Its a true moment of distinction, its winding, unraveling guitar lead is tantalizing and the brooding atmosphere birthed is something to remember. As Above So Below achieves something similar with less of a cultured direction. Again its lead guitar slowly unwinds in a gratifying manor as the song takes its time moving into a crunching dash of grinding aggression. Ending on a Bolt Thrower cover was a nice touch. I don't know the original but the flavoring of this bands aesthetic seems to work wonders. This feels like a steady improvement upon their debut but I think it would serve them well to land on something to stylistically separate them from Bloodbath.

Favorite Tracks: Nihil, Heresy, As Above So Below, Sodomize, No Guys No Glory

Rating: 7/10

Obituary "Frozen In Time" (2005)

When thinking of Obituary its always this album cover that comes to mind. Putting things into perspective, I most likely listened to this record when it first came out however I had shelved them based on their earlier Death Metal records which I was never that keen on. Hailing from Tampa Florida, they share a location and linage alongside other pioneering acts of the extreme sound that emerged from Thrash Metal in the 80s. This record however comes over twenty years after their formation and at the time an eight year hiatus following Back From The Dead. Frozen In Time caught my ear on shuffle the other day and Ive since indulged with it.

With a grisly, crunchy warm distortion tone the guitar work has a hybrid approach, crossing the axe grinding and darkness of tremolo Death Metal shredding with an obvious helping of slamming Hardcore groove. Led almost entirely by its guitar riffs the album cruises at mid-tempo, through a dense churning of thick guitar led arrangements. Guided by competent drum patterns that don't go all in with blast beats and extremities, it makes for easy listening approachable in a relative sense.

Its charm emerges when the plethora of mediocre riffs find a pacing for the equivalent of a breakdown. A percussive element goes half time and the guitars resonate with a measure of bounce and groove in the power chord dynamics. Its quite toned down but that tends to aid its deployment. The whole record has a steady tone and its atmosphere lulls you and unexpectedly jumps into lunges of movement with this two-step akin "breakdowns". Without them it would drone on and on.

Singer John Tardy is howling away throughout with his one of a kind harsh and throaty shouts. They never do however shift temperament or offer variety. The consistency of all elements makes for an album that is quick to get to grips with. Its production is well composed, the dense guitar eat up a lot of space but reverberated snare drum and punchy kick drum warp around it. The bass guitar must be mirroring as it barely makes a distinction. Overall its a very straightforward set of tracks with simple song structures however these subtle emerges of Hardcore influence are a lot of fun and that's what checking out this record has been... Fun!

Favorite Track: Redneck Stomp

Rating: 6/10

Bæst "Danse Macabre" (2018)

What does one do when your favorite Swedish Death Metal "super group" loses their way? You pray for this record! Its been seven years since Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth left Bloodbath and they haven't sounded the same. Not only did they loose the visceral edge of his gutteral demonic roar, the band pivoted stylistically with Grand Morbid Funeral. That's where Bæst come in! This Danish band have flown under the radar, not gaining much reputation yet dropping in with an absolutly infatuated debut album that simply picks up from where The Fathomless Mastery left off.

Singer Simon Olsen has an uncanny resembles to the dense and deep, throaty roars of Anderfeldt, one of the best voice in this territory. That textural shout was an instant draw, giving me goosebumps. The rest of the music follows suit. Ripping guitar tones, the varying temperaments of ferocious Death Metal. Aesthetically and musically these compositions really do mirror Bloodbath in the best of ways. You could label them a rip off but their music is so good it just doesn't matter. The key distinction is melody, a couple of the songs have a colorful lead they return to, bringing a little tune alongside the onslaught but its mostly that sound defined by another band, a pleasure for a fan.

The album is a tight Thirty Four minute affair deploying an assault of punishing music that only has respite with a couple of classical guitar interludes. They are vanilla but have a mysterious tone, perhaps lacking in layering or depth, they could of birthed a little more atmosphere. As just a lone instrument it fails to dazzle. The musics composition is fairly narrow, utilizing typical arrangements of blast beats, aggressive drum grooves and menacing guitar riffs that tend to sound best at their most brutal, with the added enjoyment of demented guitar solos and lead melodies waging in on occasion. Its a lot of fun and has really scratched an itch. Will be interesting to see where they go from here. A sophomore record looms later in the year!

Favorite Tracks: Crosswhore, Hecatomb, Ego To Absolvo

Rating: 7/10

Swallow The Sun "When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light" (2019)

Finish Doom Metal band Swallow The Sun have been around for many a year, however this is the first time I have heard of them. Its their seventh full length release as the group approach a second decade of existence. That experience shows in these classy compositions and my initial listen to this record was like a revelation. A seemingly "new" take on Doom Metal and the gothic, sorrow soaked dynamics of shifting between the bleak black and melodic melancholy was initially mesmerizing. It led to my binging of the eight songs and ultimately transitioning to a more neutral position as the freshness wore off and its construct and genre tropes became clearer.

When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light is a deceptively brilliant approach to the age old formula of grandiose, symphonic, Death Doom hybrids. Its a genre I am not well versed on but reminds me fondly of a gem by Desire, once plundered when dipping my toes into the musical history of Doom. Its as if all the components have been pulled apart, given a polish and put back together again, the final result feeling different, yet objectively similar. There is plenty of sorrowful, emotional melodies bled slowly alongside gothic lyricism and the occasional use of contrasting heavies. Deep guttural groans of darkness make an appearance with other typical stylings. I think what separates it at the surface is the vocals which more often than not bring howl more akin to Black Metal and plenty of palatable clean singing approaches, both male, effeminate and occasionally esoteric.

The music itself is wonderful, a pristine fusion of sounds. In its darkly avenues ripping distortion guitars and throaty howls can suck the listener in. When suspended in the dreary states of limbo, rising synths, sparing stringed instruments and clean plucked notes on glossy guitars carry the suspense as foray of vocal styles mourn in human sorrow. Its propelled onward by punchy drums, a driving, slow, powerful momentum that solidifies the sense of scale. Over the fifty two minutes it finds many sweet overlaps and progressions that dial the various elements in, usually finding its way to climactic moments within the thematic setting. Clouds On Your Side does this best in its mid section where it feels like all elements collide and climax.

For all the obvious glory, I think I may have binged this one a little too hard. Its been utterly riveting and some distance will make it a fond arrival whenever the magic of shuffle blesses some absent minded listening. This record has convinced me more than other that there is more to be found in the Doom Metal genre, however over my experience I also became all too aware of its tropes and common practices which I apriacient and enjoy with a little more distance than that of other Metal counterparts. Great record, well worth a listen if your a fan of heavy music.

Favorite Tracks: The Crimson Crown, Clouds On Your Side

Rating: 7/10

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

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

Bloodbath "The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn" (2018)

Four years have passed since the bland and disappointing Grand Morbid Funeral. Death Metal supergroup Bloodbath have raised their game for a second record with singer Nick Holmes at the helm. Having enjoyed this new release so much I had to go back and give GMF a spin again, it quickly becomes obvious why this new record is far superior. The band have recaptured the musical spark that made their records from the naughties so memorable, the production too has an energy and ferocity in its grasp where as its predecessor was a dull and lifeless grind of uninspired, routine and bitter Death Metal. Far from the heights soared in their past.

Given that previous setback, I almost passed this one by! I am glad I did not, The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn brings the fun and flavor back to their music. The guitars are no longer scared to venture into grooving tangents and inflect characteristics a little of cuff for the brutal music, allowing the music to brood its atmospheres without constant excess. Its lead guitars rekindle those enigmatic bursts of twisted color that elevate and inspire conclusive climatic moments for its songs. The harmonization hits that sinister yet gleaming vibration, setting the tone for a proper Bloodbath record.

Its aesthetic are primed by distortion guitars frothing with a readiness from its thick, buzzing distortion tone that characters every note, lead and chord with a malevolent intensity. It fills and bleeds into the crevasses between instruments, an overpowering quality carefully managed as it nozzles the impact of its drums which sound permanently attached to the smothering buzz of this excessive guitar tone. It works but also means the riffs are king grabbing most of your attention and focus.

Its a guitar led record with a rare few compositions deterring from its lead. A couple of songs and sections slip past the quality filter, Levitator being one, sounding a grade behind its counterparts, a minor drawback. The majority of this record is firm and robust, a cutting selection of music good for the Bloodbath name but undoubtedly not their best work. The self awareness of its own ridiculousness seems to be ever more present with song names like "Chainsaw Lullaby" and it serves them well. Not taking it seriously lets the theatrics come to life. A far better record, I hope they keep this form.

Favorite Tracks: Bloodicide, Deader

Rating: 6/10

At The Gates "Terminal Spirit Disease" (1994)

This is the record I have been expecting to hear. Swedish band At The Gates, labeled as Melodic Death Metal, had yet to reach the iconic sound pioneered by Carcass with their Heartwork album of the previous year. Taking a bold step towards a slicker, cleaner sound the band also shape up their compositions into simpler forms. While they do retain some dissonance and unusual approaches to riffing, the music comes together through simple song structures and a focus on the melodies rising from the aggressive construct of battering drums, darkly distortion guitars and fierce screams.

The move forward is fantastic, however to call this an album is a bit of a stretch. Packaged along side three additional live songs, we only have six Metal songs and one fantastic acoustic guitar interlude with And The World Returned. Its the only track to include signature stringed instruments and the seven songs only make up twenty two minutes, however short and sweet is preferable when the bar is set this high.

The record is especially enjoyable from a retroactive perspective. All the tropes and expectant riffing styles of Melodic Death hit from different angles with a unique tone. The band are still transitioning and with that comes the tremolo shredding strings across two guitars exchanging dissonance and harmony in a bright setting. The typical tune chugging, string jumping riffs get interchanged in between and with colorful, energetic drumming all the components gel as abridged sections form with variety.

All components gel sweetly and the guitar leads occasionally burst into life with memorable solos. Its all really good stuff. Perhaps only singer Lindberg is fractionally tiring with his beastly howls and throaty cries becoming drab as they rarely change. I tend to zone him out when listening, its the music below his roars that is great and even riveting on its best songs with riffs the leap out. I can understand on lot more about their place in Scandinavian Metal's history from this record and am very much excited for Slaughter Of The Soul, their last record before splitting up.

Favorite Tracks: Terminal Spirit Disease, Forever Blind, The Fevered Circle

Rating: 7/10

Strapping Young Lad "City" (1997)

With their first step a machination of musical extremity was haphazardly birthed and with the next it was mastered. Strapping Young Lad's and Devin's debut album Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing was an embryonic folly, glowing in the light of retrospection and with this next stride Devin Townsend recruits old time band mates Jed Simon and Byron Stroud alongside Metal veteran, beastly drummer and essential component of the SYL chaos, Gene Hoglan. Their first effort as a cohesive unit was defined as "the heaviest record of all time". Despite many bands attempts to further extremify Metal aesthetics, none have brought with it the pure ecstasy of a truly emphatic emotional experience. In my opinion, the heaviest album claim still holds up to this day.

Opening with Velvet Kevorkian and All Hail The New Flesh, City quickly establishes its grandiose sense of self exaggeration and drastic emotional need. With the wobbling of dense electronic noises between Dev screams of intent, the thick wall of sound aesthetic makes itself known before the song kicks in with an absolutely punishing flurry of sound that Dev emerges from with a triumphant roar. Gleams of colorful light burst and tidal grooves erupt from guitars, crushing riffs through punishing distortions. The song elevates these aspects with Devin soaring his stunning voice high above as the music peaks into the heavens before collapsing from above into more over the top sonic guitar grooves. Its all stunning but the pure emotion in the voice of our Canadian genius is something never to be forgotten.

"Well gentlemen, a great amount of money has been invested into this project and we can't allow it fail". We have heard soaring melodic beauty dancing through duality with the primitive powers of groove and with Oh My Fucking God we descend into the madness of the latter. Dev takes all the extreme ideas of Death, Thrash Metal and Grindcore and throws them in the trash can, unleashing his trump card. Led by spurts of maniacal, schizophrenic screaming over hyperactive fretwork we are swiftly led to the mid track mania of over bloated industrial noise dispensing itself into every crevasse of space as all the instruments ramp up into a tornado of utter madness. Through the insanity Dev's nutty, deranged "la la lala" singing just peaks the madness with a cherry on top of this frothing cake of non-directional fury.

The madness isn't over yet! Detox returns to the opening formula of vocally led melodic soaring as Dev cries for his wishes of sleep. Bouncing back and forth with jugular grooves the song hides a trick up its sleeve as when you think it can't get any better he unleashes a rip roaring, pop sensible power chord riff that peaks another sense of emotional purity emanating through the vocal chords. Its a gracious moment. Home Nucleonics sounds like a race of a cliff. More berserk guitar riffs rival up against the unrelenting feet of the beast Hoglan. The song fires through its arsenal of neck snapping riffs like a drill, whilst smothered itself willingly in industrial dissonance.

With its finest of extremities unleashed, the rest of the runtime gets to mature in various directions. AAA dials back the over the top nature, teasing it with its build up of suspense, letting the band show the building blocks of their sound. Great riffs, stunning screams, still with a dense web of electronic noise and powerful drumming, it draws that line it the sand to prove both the music and aesthetic at play is brilliance. Underneath The Waves has a more traditional metallic tone at first but Dev once again fires up the sparks with his neurotic, demented singing that swiftly ramps up the musical energy to the SYL elevation. The synths get more involved in the wall of sound here, a fitting tone to passionate screams from a tiring soul.

Room 429 is the track to make a separation from all heard before. A theatrical approach is taken by the group to create a circus of distant dread that lets some less exhausting ideas flourish. It does sound like the perfect stage for Dev to unleash his humor but fortunately he steers from any cheese. City closes with Spirituality, a slow morphing of atmosphere that sounds like a Post-Metal approach to the wielding density of this Industrial soundscape. Slow chugging stomps of guitars march through apocalyptic soundscapes of warfare as electronic synths let off like missile strikes. A couple of minutes in the song attempts to turn pace with vocals and sludgy grooves. It slowly builds, unable to unleash as the steady march confines it to being a sign off song. Its a really fantastic note to end a remarkable record on.

My passion and enthusiasm for this record is obvious. I only hope a reader could find this connection too. Of the best of the best, City has held up over the years as an unending source of adrenaline release and deep emotional resonance. Its such a dense sounding record that its masterful manipulation of sound waves has me forever engaged with that textural space between all the obvious. There is so much going on it can sound fresh with every listen. Devin Townsend is an utter genius and even under the guise of over the top Metal extremity can he make it truly meaningful. All that's left to be said is Strapping Young Lad rocks my hairy anus!

Rating: 10/10

Strapping Young Lad "Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing" (1995)

At the time it was musical genius Devin Townsend first solo release under the Strapping Young Lad moniker that would go on to become a fully functioning band by their sophomore album City. I'm astonished as to how far Strapping Young Lad has slipped from my mind, its been over a decade ago since I last binged on them. Its understandable how this embryonic sounding debut has drifted the furthest but Ive had a fantastic time rediscovering these oldies and the calamity of good and bad it is.

Reading into its backstory as the first Dev album, I discovered that it was born out of frustration with working for the likes of other musicians, Steve Vai and The Wildhearts. Devin wanted to write his own music and only Century Media would offer him a five album deal on the condition of making extreme music. The result is this mesmerizing, botched brew of angular ideas that would fail to capture anyone's attention, barely selling any units before future releases would bring retroactive attention to it.

Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing has all the hallmarks of an SYL record. An over the top wall of sound aesthetic. Stomping, slamming, brutal chugging guitars. Fierce and frantic screams, coupled manic roars and the occasional soaring of Devs clean range. Frequently synths wail in to further the thickness. Its a fusion of Death, Thrash and Industrial that has got all the right ingredients but its preparation and cooking is a botched brew. Its hard to praise at its surface but given a few spins there is plenty that's enjoyable and many familiar riffs, lyrics and moments reworked for later songs.

The production is sloppy and chaotic at best, the wall of sound comes together not through craft or design. Its slapped together with deliberate volume wars that more often that not find some haphazard cohesion. Distortion guitars often falter into choppy thuds of sound that loose sense of notation and become like a percussive instrument. Its mostly the ideas that lay themselves bare. When the guitars, drums or screams are being extremified its all to obvious. A majority of these moments tend to not lead anywhere but further into a sprawl of chaotic ideas. It even extending to a cheesy 80s synth beat on Cod Metal King but most his ideas will be heard with far greater execution on following projects.

These criticisms were more apparent at first glance but if you try to love something you often find reasons. Given how much I adore Devin's music it was all to easy to hear the links with whats to come. For a first timer tuning in it will be a much harder task. I'm a sucker for these songs, there is objective criticism all over yet through it I always hear something worthy of charm. Perhaps Drizzlehell is an exception. I really don't get along with that one. Otherwise its all fun, it has a mood, persona and strange vibrations that occasionally descend one into maniacal listening.

Favorite Tracks: SYL, In The Rainy Season, Happy Camper, Critic, Filler

Rating: 7/10

At The Gates "With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness" (1993)

Stripping back on some of its Avant-Guarde songwriting and non-metal instrumentation, bar sparing acoustic guitars, Swedish outfit At The Gates return with a sophomore album just doesn't spark any magic within me. Its dated, dull and dingy aesthetic dominates the mid ranges leaving a narrow feeling in the ears. Its a firm step backwards compared to The Red In The Sky Is Ours. The approach to riffing clearly has a keen experimentation in mind but not as fortuitous as before. Dissonant and moody tunes, plaid mostly through tremolo picking shapes up a resemblance of melody within its gloomy and pale tone. Sudden riff changes and energy shifts gifts the music when the chemistry works but dispels charm when the shifts make little sense, which is more often the case. Its such a consistent approach that the result is constantly hitting and miss. The good bits get buried fast.

I really gave this one a good go. Theie previous album revealed itself after some time listening but I believe the poor production value is a true hindrance in this case. I used words like gloomy and dingy in an unflattering sense. Often low fidelity aesthetic sparks imagination and vision when done right. In the case of this record it holds back the music with an uninspired tonality. Sunken within are a couple of good grooving riffs and gothic atmospheres but these are also in competition with the harsh and unfavorable howls that salt the wound of this ugly sounding record. I'm being harsh because this could of been much more. Its not awful, I can sit through and enjoy it on a mediocre level but ultimately is a disappointment worsened by its dreary production.

Rating: 4/10

Soulfly "Ritual" (2018)

The years roll on by and Metal legend Max Cavalera, approaching fifty years of age, continues onward, devoted as ever to his distinct sound. This time the Soulfly project gets project some love, working with his son Zyon who delivers a battering from behind the drum kit. Much like Cavalera Conspiracy's Pyschosis, Ritual picks up some shared ideas in advancing the aesthetics of a style aging through this era of crisp production. It all sounds good but as the eleventh record of a relatively stagnant Groove Metal fusion, this latest Soulfly record has little in the way of surprise.

Born of the Nu Metal boom, Max's departure from Sepultura had him home in on the Groove Metal charm they helped pioneer with Chaos AD and Roots, while embracing Metal's latest trend of the time. As it died out the Soulfly project found its way through embracing elements of Thrash and Death Metal that solidified a distinct, settled indentity a decade ago. Any record since has felt without progression beyond that comfort zone but there is no denying Soulfly is fun and worthy of a good listen. Ritual however front loads the record with its best song, dropping its most infectious, groovy slamming riffs to bop to right at its opening. The rest of the music lives in the shadow of a cracking song worthy of the classics Max has composed over the years.

Everything else of the record is business as usual with a couple of stand out moments. Typical song structures and arrangements of bouncy, energetic, aggressive riffs go through the motions. Tracks like Under Rapture muster some excitement as the song erupts into fast thrashing guitars, engulfing vocals roar gritty, monstrous cries over a guitar shift, getting sinister with evil tremolo shredding. Feedback goes a different direction with obvious Motorhead vibes but its mostly the Pychosis blunt force approach to aesthetics in "over the top" moments that catch the ear here. Unfortunately its all a little to predictable to become more than the sum of its parts.

Rating: 5/10

Favorite Tracks: Ritual, Under Rapture, Demonized, Soulfly XI

Beyond Creation "Algorythm" (2018)

Although I was mostly unimpressed by their last effort Earthbound Evolution, the Canadian Technical Death Metal outfit always deserve a look in after their impressive arrival onto the scene with the viral Omnipresent single. Since its release Ive listened to Algorythm over and over, soaking the deep web of music and coming to the realization that its greatness lies where it deviates from the bands own normality. It has some unusual compositions buried between the walls of music both brutal in aesthetic and dexterity. By letting the Progressive side to their sound flourish, Beyond Creation have forged some fantastically engaging music at times.

One of the first and most obvious new avenues they engage with comes on the third track Surface's Echos. It opens with lavish, reverberated eight string acoustic tones akin to Animals As Leaders and Plini. The opening distortion riff even mimics the use of unusual fretting sound with rhythmic sequences. Its a small moment but its comes around again in the following track. There are other paths the music takes that feels inherently different and it usual comes about in climactic melodic as the unrelenting knitting of instruments finds its respite, unleashing smooth atmospheres and scenic moments that lead the music away from the pummeling grind.

Its a breath of fresh air released against a flow of dizzying musicianship that crams whirling drums, slippery high end baselines and dexterous guitar riffs into almost every moment it can. Its a dense wall of sound that can be picked apart thanks to the marvels of modern production and the band truly embrace the clarity given to them. Three interchanging guitars and the monstrous drumming of Boucher endows the songs with a depth you'll be picking apart for quite some time. Unfortunately on the vocal front this record is dull. Girard takes a singular dimensional approach, blasts of guttural belly aches sound at home when backed by blast beats but in the musics expansive moments the screams sound sour. Its a firm drawback.

They go all out with their compositions but for all the technical marvel of seasoned musicianship it is nothing without direction. Many of these songs are lengthy and with that time they tie the foray of loaded blast beat laden grinds into progressive epics, usually spurred on by the eruption of a scaling lead guitar, opening the song to its next elevation. Its where the record shines, and the more they embrace this over the tropes of the genre, the better the music is. Luckily the balance is pretty steady and so the whole thing plays with a frequent shifting in intensity where one can fist pump with the methodical brutality and still embrace its bigger sense of self.

Favorite Tracks: Ethereal Kingdom, Algorythm, In Adversity

Rating: 7/10

Monstrosity "The Passage Of Existence" (2018)

When I first started exploring Death Metal, the Florida based group Monstrosity were one of a slew of bands that never held my attention for too long. They joined the scene in 92, around the peak of that first wave of bands. Since then they have been sparingly releasing albums every three to four years however its been eleven since their last effort Spiritual Apocalypse. That absence has not hindered their competence as a band in putting together a new record yet for all its decency I couldn't find much to draw me in closer. It has all the crisp and audible delights of modern production but its styling and songwriting is a little lost by the ages. Not to knock it, but It doesn't feel as exciting in comparison to when you hear this approach in music for the first time.

The record is loaded with a constant roll of tight and gnarly riffs. The chemistry between the drummer and rhythm guitarist is fantastic, lots of choppy technicalities lining the assault with brutal flavorings of groove and thrash from the rhythm guitar, always with a rapid, dexterous beat to match. The lead guitar sounds slick and lean, the songs frequent climatic moments for them to rise above and duel in tandem, flexing all the old tricks and wild sounding techniques. That is unfortunately a point of concern. The vocals are a dull drone, the same guttural tone grunts and groans at the same consistency and intensity throughout. It rarely compliments the dynamics of the music itself, even when shifting gears with an elongated roar.

The sound is generally encroaching on the Technical and Brutal sub-genres but given how developed those sounds are nothing comes of with a surprise. The guitar solos are attention grabbing and elaborate but as iterated above, its all been heard before. If you want the 90s sound then here you have got it. As already said, this is a competent band however they are spinning something I am just not interested in. For all the merit I can give it with my observations, It did little to draw me in or get the blood flowing. I can't think of a single song or moment that peaked my interest. Its all just to safe and cliche of the style. Nothing awful or off key, just not for me.

Rating: 4/10

At The Gates "The Red In The Sky Is Ours" (1992)

My recent enjoyment of their latest effort, To Drink From The Night Itself, prompted me to finally get around to checking out a band held in high regards among the Metal elite. The Sweedish outfit have a near perfect score for this record over on the Encyclopedia Metallum. Its an ugly, gritty old school Death Metal record that does little conventional to charm and much experimentation to conjure a dark, broody wallowing atmosphere that would undoubtedly been more impressive in the context of 1992. Even if I Cast my mind back to the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Decide, Death, Hypocrisy and fellow Swedes Entombed, I couldn't specifically say why this record stands apart but I do have some hunches that become obvious on inspection.

Firstly the limited production ability of those times doesn't overwhelm us with thick, overtly loud and punishing guitar tones. Instead the instruments feel rather separated and sparse in comparison to what would of been common at the time. The result of which is music that's far less nauseating to follow and lets its melodic streak flourish in a limited sense of the word. It would be another two records before they would be associated with the emergence of Melodic Death Metal pioneered by Carcass. Here on The Red In The Sky Is Ours there is clearly an inclination to melody in its darker form over blunt force tonality and primitive rhythms.

After just a couple of listens it becomes very clear At The Gates are not trying to dazzle you with simple brutality, crushing grooves or bombastic syncopation. Many of the riffs feel non-circular and linear with some drawn out grinding leads and tremolo picking sequenced in shorter arrangements that cycle swiftly. The result is a spectacle of perceived oddity. With repetition it grows in vision yet the music always falls mercy to strange moments of unconventional riffs that stop the music in its tracks with drop outs between its notes. It is also characterized by the inclusion of folkish violins that both chime in and play linking interludes between songs. As stated before they don't immediately feel natural but end up making sense and leaving a memorable mark.

The unusual and strange runs deeper than its observations. The mood and tone of the record has vibrations unlike typical Death Metal. It leans towards atmosphere when its brooding tracks can culminate in layered guitar leads and violins that feel more visionary than primitive. But what is its vision? I am still unsure but I know it is dark and dimensional. In other times it drifts to the Avant-garde as its baselines plod to the forefront with a murmurous dance. The drumming arrangements seem to flop over from the battery of pounding atypical grooves into experimental sporadic shuffles of madness mostly helped on by a sloppy outdated recording aesthetic.

 Its clear the group attempted to write music that's complex, challenging and subverting norms within a subversive genre that has quickly established some boundaries. It has also produced results in doing so. A mysterious atmosphere brews through its endless string of experimental riffing that is continuously shifting, evolving, unwinding, providing delight and a unique mood to indulge with. Each listen uncovers another secret as one slowly dissects the arsenal of experiments crammed in behind the red haze of its ambiguous, red sky cover art.

Favorite Tracks: Within, Claws Of Laughter Dead, Night Comes Blood Black

Rating: 8/10

Revocation "The Outer Ones" (2018)

I have a strong connection to the Boston based Revocation. I caught their debut album Empire Of Obscene literately moments after it reached the blogspot scene. It was an instant connection and I regarded them as one of Metal's finest new acts, expecting them to rise to the top but it wasn't to be so. I still think they are criminally underrated but as the years stroll by and the excitement of "traditional" Metal wains I found myself becoming disinterested in them. This new chapter is a big step up from Great Is Our Sin, which in turn was a also a step up from the disappointing Deathless.

The group continue to firmly stick by their core identity of style and with that run the risk of repeating themselves. They call it diminishing returns, the first exposure always has the most impact but in the case of The Outer Ones they push the boundaries far, holding onto that distinguished character while creating a new and vividly animated universe of beastly Extreme Metal in the Revocation name. It holds up well to the ambitions conveyed by its spacial, maddening and slightly creepy album art.

The core tenants of brutality and Thrash hold true as forays into the antics of Technical Death and Progressive Metal bring about a detailed and dizzying web of indulgent music, punishing in tone but aesthetically gorgeous in delivery. Its production squeezes in the instruments with clarity and precision. As a result the bass guitar gets room to maneuver into focus with a luminous gritty texture in its select moments. David Davidson also stretches his voice down a peg with a significant amount of low, growling guttural vocals that land with a streak of menace, something he has clearly worked hard on. It gives the music many hair raising moments.

The music itself is a never ending sprawl of clever riff design and song structuring that creates a very specific atmosphere. I feel like a lot of the record gets caught up in the brutal aspect of their sound. Its the songs that offer the most respite from the slaughter that bring about the best moments, that and the guitar leads. These erupting solos evolve the songs, played with true intent and vision they time and time again mask the shifts of music and make the whole experience organic. That's frequently a tricky task for tricky music that is dexterous but often mechanical and without feeling.

This record has brought the utmost enjoyment, yet as I touched on, it is the subversion of the core tenants that bring about the magic. If Revocation where to explore directions that stray from the roots I am confident they would find gold. In a few brief instances I am reminded fondly of Opeth, a band that utilize clean vocals exceptionally well. At many times I felt the music was yearning for that but most likely that is my own taste exerting itself on a punishing and brutal record that for over half of its duration is dancing in the swamps of mean and ugly guitar playing brought to the mercy of groove and sensibilities. Its a cracking listen for any Extreme Metal fan.

Rating: 8/10

Favorite Tracks: Blood Atonement, Vanitas, Ex Nihilo, A Starless Darkness

Irreversible Mechanism "Immersion" (2018)

Over two years ago the Belarus duo Irreversible Mechanism's debut made quite the footing in the musical landscape of my mind. Their take on Symphonic Extreme Metal had many of the hallmarks similar to bands I adore, I could hear echos of Dimmu Borgir, Old Man's Child, Aeons Confer and Abigail Williams. It became a record of frequent returns and so my excitement has brewed in anticipation of this sophomore album. Although it sticks to similar classifications, Immersion is an evolution of the beast and I'm not entirely sure where I stand with it. One thing is for certain my captivation has been held over the weeks as I have strayed of from writing about it, soaking in the experience as many times as I could before now.

 This new record expands its pallet with the introduction of luscious, gleaming acoustic guitars reminiscent of Gru. They work in parallel with deep, soft, airy synths boasting an immersive spacial tone. It plays between the dynamic bursts of explosive drumming and distortion guitar onslaught that drifts keenly into angular and blunt force playing akin to Technical Death Metal. The blazing dives into pummeling intricate blast beats and maddening atonal fret scaling licks push at its harshest but also in a constant sway with the synths and ethereal guitar sounds that vastly expand the pallet with plucked chords and softer distortions to thicken the atmospheres cast.

Where they once had echos of other bands, Irreversible Mechanism have very much channeled the aspects of their sound to new places. The once typical sweep picking licks that flooded the music with melodic flushes has been channeled into a web of meaningful guitar leads and solos that organically flex with the swaying of the music, erupting to life in with the dynamic shifts in tone. Their talents as musicians has found a vision and its executed wonderfully in a set of nine songs that frequently shift, sway and unravel with its smothering of intricacies and complex song structures leading into new and marvelous frontiers that feel boundless in this form.

Its a complete package, the music is thrilling with its extremities and its aesthetics are gorgeous. These modern production techniques sound is if there is nowhere left to go. Packed into this production we hear every kick, snare, symbol and instrument with clarity as they all frequently pile into the fold with a frantic unleashing of extreme composition. The drums pack a hefty punch, slick tones on all its components let every note cut through with strength that compromises nothing. All the way down to the bass guitar, which gets its moments to rumble its texture, every sound illuminated.

And so the album cruises on by with its unending sways, exploring different degrees of parrying assault and indulgence with its two identities. Beyond has both my favorite moments and least too, its swings of gleam the most appeasing and its dive into Technical Death Metal the most grinding. Tracks like Absolution is a, mind the pun, absolute peach when the back and forth is frequent and lined with glorious, emotive guitar leads. Infact eight ninths of its whole fit that frame, constantly finds these energetic thrusts to soaring peaks of intensity and blissful color on practically every song while each one feels so unique.

Taking all this wonderful music in I do feel an ambiguity of vision. It reminds me of my experiences with Doom and Post-Metal. I can feel the electricity but it doesn't allays light the bulb. With every song here I feel the current but where is it we are? I'm not quite sure, I mostly see neon colors illuminating solar systems and bizarre, exotic alien planets with intense visuals but perhaps that was put in my mind but the fantastic album cover. Either way this will be one of the years best and one I will continue to enjoy for many years to come! Bravo Irreversible Mechanism, you have raised the bar for all within your field, this is a true accomplishment.

Favorite Tracks: Abolution, Footprints In The Sand, Limbo

Rating: 9/10

The Lion's Daughter "Future Cult" (2018)

With every listen Future Cult has crept deeper into the conscious, its harsh iterations of Extreme Metal and obvious synthetic experiments have yielded charm in their familiarity. What was initially a wretched experiment of clashing styles found its territory as the repetitions revealed the chemistry that's not so always apparent. The Missouri based Black Metal outfit jump the bandwagon and fuse elements of Synthwave and this surge of interest in Carpenter horror soundtrack aesthetics.

The band have a harsh aesthetic, readily reliant on the pummel of blast beats and angular discordant guitars, commanded by the flat and narrows shouts of singer Giordano. The best bits emerge from the moments between when intensities wavier and so its harshness serves as that root into extremity it frequently turns too as the music drops in and out of its anger. In these fluctuations the trio prime the atmosphere for the music to break to its more meaningful and progressive passageways which give most the songs here conclusive moments of dark illumination.

The retro synths would fit sweetly into a 80s horror soundtrack but not so much in the case of this mid paced metallic pounding. Instead of sacrificing their harsh and assaulting aesthetic and jagged music to fit the synths in, the three let them rub upside. The clash is obvious yet the charm is in progression, how the music finds its way to more cohesion, the brutality sways into chemistry and that is their sweet spot.

The introduction to The Gown highlights this chemistry as the dialed down guitar tones work with the synths through an initially percussion less instrumental in perfect tandem. The texture and atmosphere oozes over the warm, burly baseline. As the record stretches on a couple of tracks cop out of the experiment with the synths being pushed deep to layers of grit and fuzz heard in the creeks between thick distortion chords. The do however remain as solid songs in the run time.

There is definitely something to be done with these two styles. The Lion's Daughter have dipped their toes in and proved the waters warm. However my take away from this record is their musicianship, more so than the aesthetics that often feel rigid and raw. The synths could easily be swapped out for guitars and retain the same atmosphere as I felt their dark avenue is what shinned more so that the Carpenter accent. I hope they continue on this path and push the fusion further.

Favorite Tracks: Future Cult, Call The Midnight Animal, Die Into Us, The Gown, Grease Infant, Galaxy Ripper
Rating: 8/10