Mnemic "Mnemesis" (2012)

 
Disbanded not long after, Mnemesis is the Danish outfits final chapter. Initially Bideau's expanded vocal range caught my attention, feeling like a departure from their distinct "Future Fusion Metal" sound. With familiarity the rough cleans, burly shouts and tuneful inflections nestled in, however an underlying shift remains. Subtly toned down aggression leaves space for melodic flavors to capture ones attention. These songs run into frequent stretches of dulled world building stints. Mediocre in intensity, they fail to arrive at gratifying destination. The result is a set of songs that amble through the motions, landing only a handful of memorable riffs or vocal hooks.

Illuminated by subtle eerie synths, the dystopian tone is withdrawn from its previous extremities, creating a luke-warm atmosphere, rarely broken out from. Its mood is a sluggish, sunless, shadowy trek, emotively depressive when aggressive guitars depart on melodic refrains. That's not to de-mark its merits, Mnemesis is a competent set of songs ruminating on burdensome emotions. A listen, of which I've had many, passes by entertaining yet uneventful. Its closer, Blue Desert In A Black Hole, gets a thumbs up for fantastic song writing that steadily brews its sense of finality to close upon.

Rating: 4/10

Mnemic "Sons Of The System" (2010)

 

Having established that Passenger carried on with Mnemic's glorious throws to youthful nostalgia, Sons Of The System swiftly verifies itself as a gradual departure. The pillars of Industrial tinged Djent chugs remain, yet become part of the scenery, a rhythmic current to transition into roars of sketchy heathen "clean" vocals. Singer Bideau sheds skin, establishing his own vocal style, often stretched over mid tempo breaks lined with softly dystopian ambiguous synths. The rhythmic chops divide the flow as aggressive riffs frequently exchange with these disenfranchised breaks.

This artistic direction subdues the bands original charm, scaling back complexity and trying to elevate its atmospheric angle. The result blemishes their uniqueness, giving Sons Of The System a generic leaning sound for the European Metal scene of the era. Despite this step back, they still reside with strong footing. The record has its helping of banging riffs, mostly obnoxious shuffles of low end fret work. Its moody vocal led counterparts aren't terrible either, just a tone I am accustom too.

The record lumps its hardest hitters at the front doors. As it progresses, the tempos steady, its aggression tempers and more atmospheric passages open up, reminiscent of Prog Metal in moments. Songs shuffle through the motions with little in the ways of peaks or valleys, just a consistent tone. The inclusion of bonus tracks that didn't make the cut was a nice addition, the grinding Claus Larsen remix a missed opportunity.

Rating: 6/10

Mnemic "Passenger" (2007)

 
Laying the ground work for this post, yesterday I wrote of The Audio Injected Soul, a now timeless record from the latter of my formative years. Their follow up, Passenger, was passed up upon release. All I recall was a dismissal based on the departure of Michael Bøgballe. Now a maturer listener, I venture back with an open mind.

My first observation was one of confusion. Bøgballe's replacement, Guillaume Bideau, has such similar tone and demeanor that he could be mistaken for the same guy. Singing with mirrored intensities, rhythmic cadences, dropping in snarls and quirky shouts akin to the record prior, he lands a seamless transition for the band.

Passenger can never compete with the immortality of youth. My growing familiarity with this record yields the same emotive stimulus though. At this stage, the iron is still hot for Mnemic, forging another array of chaotic fusions. Chugging jolted grooves collide with passionate dystopian melody across a post-industrial wasteland.

Playing with a touch more sludgy rhythm and distorted dissonance in the low end, the albums production admittedly sounds aesthetically like a minor step back. The prior tightness is lacking, its mostly the drums that feel looser. Guitars lean more towards aggression with a notable tilt in sharp edged riffs and slabs of shunting power chord noise. It aids an overall flavor that doesn't steer far from their established identity.

I'm going to continue chewing through these songs but so far a couple of favorites have emerged, usually where flushes of color and lead guitar compliment a song. Carcass's Jeff Walker drops brief but fantastic demented snarls onto Psykorgasm. Passenger doesn't pull any big surprises but competently builds on what they were known for. I'm gutted we passed this one up, these songs could have easily stuck too.

Rating: 7/10

Mnemic "The Audio Injected Soul" (2004)

 
Here lies an ecstatic throw back to the days of youth. Discovered through Nuclear Blast Records magazine, this Danish outfit captivated our attentions with rhythmic grooves adjacent to Meshuggah's records of the time. Residing in the infancy before Djent took on its current sanitized form, Menmic's gritty Industrial polish and flashes of electronic textures morphed them into a memorable metallic beast.

Born in the hangover of Groove and Nu Metal, roaring shunted riffs collide against subtly dystopian melodic leads in search of new ground. I recall this particular scene once being referred to as "Future Fusion Metal" but despite the endless iterations of sub-genre, this name never took hold. One can hear echos of Melodic Death Metal and Industrial Metal but its most notable distinction are the elasticated "poly-rhythmic" guitar arrangements that make for frequent headbangers break outs. Chunky assaults on the fretboard that frequently flirt with a choppy, charactered ferocity.

The band don't overstate any component but weave together its most aggressive assignments and tuneful tangents. These arrangements emerge chopped and changed, not through complexity but variety. The pace at which an average track cycles through its sections is refreshing. It gives them character, as its swings and sways feel unpredictable, even after the album has been etched into ones memory.

Its offering can't be overstated, a fantastic range of soaring melodies to rhythmic slabs of low end force, melding through a creativity that never felt forced or intentional. The bellowing roars of front man Bøgballe often illuminates the energetic trajectory the instrumentals traverse. It could be passion of youth but I think this record is a lost gem, a cracking collection of momentous songs that any fan of Metal could find a favorite among its ten lean cuts. Still a favorite after all these years...

Rating: 9/10

Myrkur "Ragnarok" (2023)

 
Danish outfit Myrkur had a busy 2023. Not only Spine but this TV show soundtrack too. Surprisingly, Ragnarok is the more straightforward of the two. Rocking rural stints of Heathen Metal, guitars frequently drop in with overdriven power chords, chunky rhythms and a touch of Doom Metal lurches. Bruun's Scandinavian tongue roots its viking feeling when in spoken demeanor, her ascensions into charming sung passes feel like a softly symphonic charm to dress up the rather dirty, gritty guitar tones.

Each Metal song alternates with an orchestrated alternative, softer instrumentation, often keyboards, pianos and strings. Odins Sang offers a Nordic folk chant over primitive percussion. For the mesmerizing Modgunns Tema, a different direction. Deeply calming, mysterious and natural, the gentle lonely notes that glimmer in its lingering reverb feel like a tribute to first light over a pristine snow swept forest.

This shuffling variety is refreshing, creating quite a journey. Initially I was drawn to its softer side but the Metal tracks have a charm in their simplicity. The aesthetic is spot on for conjuring pagan visions and rural hardships worshiping ancient gods. Its subtly impressive and a firm reminder of why I'm still interested in what they might do next. Although completely fitting, Ragnarok is still candidly bewitching, even more so Spine.

Rating: 7/10

Myrkur "Spine" (2023)

After the aptly name Folkesange, Danish outfit Myrkur return to the Black Metal tinged aesthetics of their origins. Spine muddies the waters with an uncanny sense akin to a "covers album". Like Humans sets this striking tone, the "talk to me like humans do" chorus arises from a rubble of darkly guitar rumblings and morose pianos nestled in a foggy, swampy drone. The cadence and melodies of Amalie Bruun carry an elevated yet contrasting spirit, rhythm and rhyme akin to catchy yet emotive Synthpop.

Continuously, her knack for lyrical delivery evokes this peculiarity again and again. Other elements suggested similar feelings too. The tense, tick tock alike synth lines of Mothlike and its gleaming flush, a rapid melodic guitar solo that erupts from an initial dark rumble, this too felt like a differing origin brought to to serve a peculiar chemistry.

As the album runs, many inspirations are woven into its fabric. A strange mix of hazy subdued extremity and light shining through gloomy clouds. Blazing Sky brings the bloat and bombast of a sludgy Doom Metal riff to the mercy of Brunn's earthly, gentle voice. Again, its illuminating pivot into a catchy chorus gives this unshakable sense of an original piece re-imagined through a dark and contrasting genre.

After many spins and much pointless research, I've learned of this records authenticity and grown to adore its peculiar position. It speaks volumes to its chemistry as these magnetic songs carry multiple spirits in tandem. The band have yielded a record that doesn't fallen into any typicality or genre pitfalls. Gracefully, they brew great music with their own unique spirit. Its been a breath of fresh air to say the least!

Rating: 8/10

Den Sorte Død "Depressiv Magi" (2022)

 

 Depressiv Magi, a fitting name for these steady solemn strolls through the pale. Its six chapters fragment all differing increments of funeral gloom and lonely wonders. Its bleak exterior, a dominating aesthetic, casts a forlorn prison to the minuscule glow within. Its stoic charm and glimpses of effervescence, caged, dragged and smothered by a nostalgic doom. Although the duo wrestle on occasion, its darkness that wins out.

Comprised of Dungeon Synth and Berlin School electronics, a textural affair is to be enjoyed. Foggy, fidelity diminishing Low Fi ideals rub against the precision of angular buzz, sine and saw wave oscillations. The two find a unison in unraveling songs where their composition and chemistry is apt. Although its often humanistic Dungeon Synth tones that represent escape from the glumness, they interweave rolls, creating quite the spectacle of impressive musicianship and craft.

Den Evindelige Skygge opens the record with a lurching sense of unease before its title track rebirths the tonal theme to reveal dire tensions. From here much of the relief is abandoned as these chilly, joyless atmospheres turn grave, often punctuated by driving percussive strikes that call out from the dark. Depressiv Magi is a well executed project but limited in scope it suits a particular mood.

Rating: 5/10

Bæst "Necro Sapiens" (2021)

 

Released in March of this year, this attempted behemoth of Death Metal disgust, Necro Sapiens, managed to slip under my radar! In previous efforts I've described Bæst as the Danish Bloodbath for similarities musically but more notably for the dense guttural roars of Simon Olsen which mirror that of legend Mikael Åkerfeldt from Opeth.

At forty four minutes this third record has felt like a meaty affair on every occasion. Its search of grandeur ever-present as grueling themes play out with an unrelenting intensity. Reaching for the epic, its march of brutality is a grinding one. The music gasps for breaths of air while strangulated by the demonic roars of Olsen who drowns out any melodic refrains to lighten the tone. That intensity seemingly holding it back.

As so often a Death Metal record does, an arsenal of riffs is lined up for assault. Necro Sapiens deploys all forms, from evil melodic inflections to slamming pummels of chugging palm mutes with all in between. The bad news is the lack of originality or freshness. At this point in a stagnant genre, the ideas have all been heard before and the arrangements in search of greatness seemed to fall ill of its own medicine.

I can hear the vision, a careful composition of riffs exchanging brutality and dramatic themes with its unruly lyrics peering into wretched biblical filth of angels and demons and the scourge of humanity. Its all to be expected however it just doesn't click! I'm left with nowhere to point for an excuse, the performance and execution is excellent, the record sounds wonderfully rich and powerful yet with every listen these songs fail to muster that adrenaline charged excitement. I'm left wondering is it me or the music?

Rating: 5/10

Den Sorte Død "Den Sorte Død" (2021)

All to keen to explore this newly discovered Berlin School niche, I snapped up this side project by Offermose. Now, I feel a little burned by an impulse decision. What I initially heard at a glance alludes me through this dreary bleak experience that Den Sorte Død is. Translated to The Black Death, its inspiration makes sense of its glumly harrowing tone that hopelessly drifts through a sombre graveness. Track after track drones with an empty loneliness devoid of hope and wallowing in defeat.

This context has given me a greater respect for the record but before learning of this, I was somewhat dulled by it, having anticipated a more adventurous set of songs. Instead its a grueling journey of pale sorrow, a defeated human spirit trapped in perpetual misery, drifting from place to place with no uplift insight. The occasional swells of dark and menacing music gives a sense of seeing the horrors, carcasses piled high and the burning of bodies, a particularly grim endurance for any soul.

 Without the context, these aesthetics gave me strong cosmic vibes. Atmospheric synthetic strings and meandering saw wave melodies painted the astral skies at night. Thus initially it reminded me more so of Grimrik. There is also a ghostly wobbling synth instrument suggestive of cheesy old school horror soundtracks. Because of this it all felt a bit empty, set in the vacuum of space with an eternally drifting nature. I've come to enjoy it more now, the ending of Det Tabte Slag being a memorable note as it descends into gristly and unsettled territory but otherwise I could of passed this one by.

Rating: 4/10

Dynatron "Origins" (2021)

 

Home to Dan Terminus, Irreversible Mechanism & Chaos Moon, Blood Music has been a great spot to pick up music I know I'll enjoy. With the label offering up a new, sleek, nightly Synthwave album, I felt lured in for another round with a style I now know well. Origins doesn't offer up any surprises for this listener but serves as a masterful execution of ideas and aesthetics I'm fond of. New to Dynatron, this one man band and producer is fondly reminiscent of Oscillotron, Contact and Grimrik.

And with familiarity and the easy pace of this record, it very much becomes background music, distilling with its stylish cool atmosphere, free of worry and tension. As the percussion pounds with its rock steady marching groove, one breezes through the night lights with that common feeling of being safe in a warm automobile watching the passing lights go by. The synths are gorgeous, pristine and lush, they muster the power of the saw wave's gusto yet glide smoothly throughout this experience.

A surprise awaits in the opening as deep, dense and gristly distortion guitars add a thick wall of gravity to the mix with their lumbering chugging between drawn out power chords. The idea isn't revisited again as much of the albums focus shifts to ideas its brighter, bold melodic leads evoke. They play dazzling melodies with a progressive flair to them, its what reminded me most of the aforementioned Contact.

And so the nine tracks whirl by with their particular identities somewhat suppressed by the consistent tone and perpetual pounding of snare and base kick. It flirts with darkly distortion, textural noises that add some ambiguity. Its lead instruments steer a little alien, inhuman, cosmic and mischievous in places but never does it lean to hard on any of these details. Its all easy listening, night life Synthwave, executed stunningly but a tad underwhelming in its inability to escape the rich atmosphere it locks into.

Rating: 6/10

Offermose "Stilhedens Tårn" (2020)

 

The journey continues, as it always does, now I find myself floundering blindly into a new scene. So familiar, yet built on a different tonality. The engulfing spells of Dark Ambient and nostalgic mystique of Dungeon Synth, channeled through shivering soundscapes, find a convergence on classic synth sounds resurrected from decades gone by. Known as Berlin School, my introduction has come through a musical darkness which I adore. Arcanist was my first and now I'm unearthing more of these broody plunges into the shadowy realms. Hinged on electronic tones, keys and modern conventions that are more often seen as fun and entertaining synthetic instruments than ones to conjure the eerie and ambiguous as Offermose does here.

With all that said, Stilhedens Tårn and its six chapters use this electronic force sparingly, acting more as atmospheric conjurings that journey somberly and morph into satisfying, driving swells of emotion. The haunting whirl of winds, unsettling ambiences and rustling sounds of nature nestle a rich sound design for its synths to bring haunting drones and chilling melodies too. The whole affair feels organic and natural as its potentially pristine synths are dressed down with an aesthetic tarnishing to ground the music in an earthly feeling. It does come in degrees though, Sjælens Ruin finds itself morphed midway by tight synth arrangements, playing out woven around a steady and simple percussive groove of snare and bass kick.

Much of this record lingers on an ambiguous spot, lonely yet beautiful. Meditative and broody but never drifting to far to the bleak, its poise hints at something devious with discernible human voices creeping into the backdrop on occasion. It all unravels with Tvillingeflamme as the pains of a despairing voice are muffled under a sinister vampiric synth. The arrival of a demonic voice and sounds of strikes paints a torturous scene in the imagination as the flame of the song flickers out with a funeral macabre air to it. A stunning way to seal off a wandering set of mysterious musical spells.

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

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

Myrkur "Myrkur" (2014)

Lastly for now we arrive at the roots of Amalie Bruun's musical endeavor, the debut, self titled EP which is surprisingly better than the full length M. It suffers the same entanglement of heavenly folkish sounds and beastly Black Metal but here the guitar work stands up a little stronger as the sways between dark and light are equally better despite a lack of flow. Unlike its predecessor which showed stark influences from the formation years of the genre, Myrkur's guitar aesthetics and riffs resemble a style far more akin to a band like Drudkh with harsh and thick tones that have a odd alluring indulgence.

As a purely Folk song, Frosne Vind shines like a beacon among the fog of dissonant aggression. Serine acoustic guitars washed in roomy reverberation paint an air of culture and meaning that her distant voice illuminates with a touch of divinity as the choral chant layers her voice blissfully. Its cut short as we are lunged into the hellfire of blast beasts and tremolo picking that highlights the records lack of cohesive direction or union between these two sounds she would go on to achieve with Mareridt. Her singing may be stunning but it is often cut short by these transitions.

When both Folk and Metal elements reside within singular songs the same rigidity occurs, Latvian Fegurð even has an odd bass heavy "gulp" noise as its beautiful, soft intro is cast to shadows in a sudden shift to snarling shredding. This records merit is in the interest both elements spark up as the aggressive side finds its moments of intrigue with atmospheric riffing. The problem, as to follow, is their contrast which is yet to find a middle ground beyond Amalie singing in her calming clean voice over shrill guitars on a couple of occasions. A reasonable start but as we know it will take another effort before they find what really works.

Favorite Tracks: Frosne Vind, Må Du Brænde I Helvede

Rating: 6/10

Myrkur "M" (2015)

Blown away by their fantastic sophomore record Mareridt I tracked back two years for their debut full length. Simply titled M, we hear ideas and darkly sounds closer to inception, rawer, rigidity in place and without the craft they would go on to display. At this point Bruun was writing alone and recording in the studio with session musicians who had little if no input on composition. It may not be the lone reason but we hear the music in a far more brittle form, the darkness, its uplifting light and rooted atmosphere of folk sounds play out in turns with obvious shifts and turns. Its tracks bleed into one experience as they barely delineate from one another on many fronts.

This initially made the record difficult to get into, its eruptions of snarly screams and harrowing demonic voices forcefully turned the pace of the music as blast beats and shrill guitars would descend on the listener, casting sections of heavenly singing and pagan instrumentation to the side. These three phases are often the focus of the music, her angelic voice, singing softly, gracing over the instruments from an illusive distance. The forcefully harsh and abrasive blasts of ugly Black Metal and the calls of ancestor through horns, violins, fiddles and a helping of atmospheric synth.

There are many moments where these three pillars overlap but often the transitions are rigid, obvious and in sequence. It feels very inspired by the blunt and bold Black Metal of the 90s yet shows the need for the craft, care and inspiration they go on to show in the next record. Initially I focused on this to much and didn't enjoy the record much but with repetition its familiarity let the vibe and mood of the record sink in, which despite some short comings it does has a similar tone to its predecessor... In places... Tracks like Mordet feel cut from the cloth of yesterdays sound of northern darkness but the record charm of swaying from the arms of darkness to the roots of heritage eventually takes over.

All in all M is a decent record that would have been better enjoyed first. The potential it shows feels weaker in retrospect but its ability to cast a spell and create a lasting atmosphere is strong. The sways from black to light and then to heathenish culture are fun and enjoyable. The crafts of subtly and persuasion are not yet with them but blunt the plunges into hell are fun and its gothic edge is charming. Although this may seem like the start their is a short EP beforehand too. I will check that out next.

Rating: 6/10

Myrkur "Mareridt" (2017)

There's always music to be discovered and this year at Download Festival I decided to wander over to the forth stage while grabbing some food and to my delight caught an unexpected amazing show by the Danish group Myrkur. A combination of furious Black Metal and angelic singing played right to my tune, I knew I would have to pick up a record and my first is their second.

Mareridt, Danish for nightmare, reveals so much more about their sound from the live experience, although it is probably a dimension to their sound your just not going to hear first time around at a show. The record however shows depth and emotion in abundance as the contrast between singer Amalie Bruun and her band goes beyond a simple concept and aesthetic, tapping deep into the folk sound of pagan cultural roots.

The record achieves a meditative, indulgent state just at its surface level alone. Steady, naturalistic songs let the light draw to Bruun's singing as she delves into soft angelic singing with accents of Scandinavian heritage, on De Tre Piker she goes all the way in with what could pass as on old hymn handed down through generations, stunning singing reminiscent of Lisa Gerrard. Behind her the music finds different temperaments with the Black Metal aspect of the music finding many intensities to approach from, occasional bursts of ugly, snarly spats of grimness fuel some darkness but more often than not, it rides on the uplifting gleam of awe inspired lead melodies, similar to the epic grandiose scale of an act like Saor. It mostly serves as an aesthetic for the theme.

As the distortion guitars and drumming compete for their moments they sway up again the persuasion of heathen sounds. Violins, harps, modern synths, organs and pianos grip firmly on the naturalistic experience that will have one smelling the outdoors air, feeling the breeze as it rustles through the leaves of tress. One can really feel the spiritual connection to the forgotten past when man was closer to mother nature. The swaying and competition between two sounds gives the album a healthy flow that finds an interesting middle moment on Funeral as Chelsea Wolfe lends her voice to an abyssal, slow, crushing instrumental that could of easily been on her own record. It highlights some similarities but more so adds to the diverse pallet these songs have with one another.

On first listen I felt the Black Metal aspect to be rather rigid and stiff in its volatile phases. I could hear a lot of 90s abrasiveness at work but with each listen as the overall theme became clearer its chemistry in relation to Bruun's voice and the other cultural sounds gave it a far more organic and Post feel. Perceptions change and I am finding myself loving this record more and more with each listen. Its moods, feelings and vision run deep, the music comes to life with vivid visuals of dark and ancient times filled with pagan mysticism.

There is a very personal and mischievous period in the outro track Bornehjem, a childish Golem alike voice talks to its demons, leaving me to believe there is most likely a much more personal theme running through the lyrics, of which I haven't read, perhaps that is something I should make the effort to do. This band will undoubtedly be one of my favorite new discoveries this year and luckily there is their debut record to get into next.

Favorite Tracks: The Serpent, Elleskudt, De Tre Piker, Funeral, Ulvinde

Rating: 8/10

Raunchy "Vices.Virtues.Visions" (2014)

Danish group "Raunchy" snuck this one, their sixth full length, right under my radar last year. Raunchy are a six-piece group whos sound would lump them under the "Future Fusion Metal" name coined by Mnemic, describing the sound in the European scene. Combining many of the energetic elements of Industrial, Metalcore, Djent, Death and even Progressive Metal, their sound would be atypical if not for the Electronics present in the form of backing symphonics and Trance like leads that add a engrossing layer of electronic melodics. Their 2006 release "Death Pop Romance" impressed me immensely and earned them a reputation as a band I should always take the time to check out what they are upto.

The best of Raunchy comes from their clean melodic vocal lead hooks and infectious, poppy trance like melodies that ring out an uplifting mood along side aggressive, modern Djent metal riffage that pounds and grinds chugging rhythms with aggressive drumming. Its the moments that give way to the electronics that Raunchy find their niche, and they create these vibrant sing along moments song after song, but its the moments between where things don't move so smooth. The Metal side of their sound is relatively generic and the guitars lack a spark to create something with an energy or idea thats fresh to an experienced metal listener. It flicks like a switch as the songs build up with varying riffs and structures that lead to the implosive moment where the electronics drop in and time and time again this is where the magic happens.

"Vices.Virtues.Visions" is a decent effort, one that taps into the best of their unique sound, but drifts into mediocrity when the Metal takes lead. Clocking in at over an hour with a couple of lengthy numbers the moments between can drag, however the hooks and melodies are right on point. Another strength this record developed were some pounding festival like beats, you can envision the crowd clapping and fist pumping along to the bass kick that rings out as the music calms before the storm. Sound wise its representative of modern production, very audible and clear, the drums having a punchy and crisp tone about them. The electronics sounding superb alongside the crunchy guitars. Raunchy do a lot right here, but tiring of typical Metal guitars made a lot of this record dull for me. 

Favorite Tracks: Truth Taker, Digital Dreamer, Anasthesia Throne, I, Avarice

Rating: 5/10