Poppy "Negative Spaces" (2024)

 

 

Plagued by the inconsistencies of searching for an identity, exploring genres, never settling on a sound, it seems that Poppy has finally found a firm footing following a fruitful collaboration with album of the year contenders Knocked Loose. Now honing her screams into frightful territory, ranging from soft, harmonious and sweet to roars of unrelenting rage feels an apt for this endeavor. Foraying into the current trendy Pop Metal dynamics, contrasting stomps of Djent brutality exchange with sways of warm catchy melody. Its a dominant theme among other ideas, conjuring echo's of Spiritbox.

The record flows smoothly despite some turns. Crystalized makes a sudden deviation to explore driving dance-floor grooves and Synthpop melodies masked in nightly Synthwave vibes. Vital dials in subtle Emo and Pop Punk influences through its guitars before Push Go jumps back to the dance-floor. Poppy's approach conjures echos of Madonna in here prime and 90s Brit Pop in its soft siren chorus.

The next two tracks get us back on track, going hard as ever on its mammoth guitars. Big grooves stride in anger as raw throaty screams erupt with vitriol. Its a wild ride juxtaposed by the dreamy interlude Hey There, a crash to the ground as the final stretch retreads these ideas already explored. New Way Out notably deploys the Argent Metal formula with that signature Mick Gordan guitar and synth aesthetic.

All in all, Negative Spaces is a really good listen from start to end but perhaps lacks in offering something truly new to take away. Its as if these songs might fade from memory given the overt influence that fail to ascend expectations. On the other hand, its the most consistent record from an artist still seeking out a sound to call their own. It lays a promising foundation for the future after the sorely disappointing Zig.

 

Rating: 7/10

Novelists "Okapi" (2024)

 

Spotify is doing a mighty fine job figuring me out with its algorithms. Lurching in the shadows of Deftones, Lacuna Coil, with flashes of Prog guitar reminiscent of Plini, French outfit Novelists bring the stunning voice of Camille Contreras to this current Pop Metal trend. Contrasting heavy Djent tones with shimmering melodies, their songs sway from soft and serine to punchy and powerful with great conviction.

Contreras is the main charm, her compassionate lyrics and dynamic voice guides the instrumental gracefully. Bellow her, a similar yet toned down creativity akin to yesterdays Chaosbay. Part of the "Progressive Metalcore" crowd, its a seamless fit, leaning more on the traditional guitar virtuoso side. Prisoner's a keen example pivoting from a typical aggressive Metalcore track with a wild burst of dance-floor rhythm.

It ends up exploring an expressive, flamboyant side, with lavish fretwork - something each of these four tracks finds its way to. They are all individual, creative tracks, moving from typical constructs to vibrant compositions with an effortless ease. Not as fiery as others in the scene do it, however its better suits Contreras' temperament.

Rating: 4/10

Chaosbay "Are You Afraid?" (2024)

  

On a somewhat predictable trajectory, yet no less exciting, Are You Afraid lands high octane metallic exuberance. Bolstered by punchy production, Chaosbay fuse catchy pop sensibilities with the edge of Djent guitar brutality. Encapsulated by subtle enriching synths and infrequent glitchy antics, this arsenal of short to-the-point three minute bangers blazes through their very best creative efforts.

These eleven cuts routinely erupt into grabbing "break downs", slamming serious momentum. Far from original yet executed with class, the double down on Eye For An Eye plays a keen favorite. Between these roars of anger, the soaring clean vocals of Jan Listing continuously ropes one into its lyrics themes through infectious cadence.

Taking on different temperaments and tempos defines each song from one another with true personality. Frequently dabbling in curious arrangements - cinematic synths, Trap adjacent percussion and dystopian electronics - simple song structures find space to experiment, elevating past the main theme. Its kept the listening experience fresh, exciting and on "the edge of your seat" so to speak.

 Without a weak point these thirty eight minutes play fun, animated, energetic. Anthems to fist pump, head bang and sing along too. Its been everything I hoped for. Having been teased by The Way To Hell, I'm happy the whole record reached that level of excellence. To my ears, these guys are among a rare few to get me excited about Metal these days.

Rating: 9/10

Boston Manor "Sundiver" (2024)

  

Exploring the many charms of 90s Alternative Metal, Boston Manor returned armed with exquisite execution over originality. Sundiver is a captivating record led by front-man Henry Cox who's empowered voice swoons in the emotional current. Pivoting from soft streams of emotive vulnerability to roars of clean confidence, he sings unabashed by the overt stylistic imitations of Chino Moreno. So to do his band mates revel in musical arrangements, groovy riffs and aesthetics pioneered by the Deftones. His other flattery emerges in catchy, tuneful deliveries like Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon would do, these two personalities define much of his vocal presence.

 Its all taken in wondrous stride, every track tightly wound, a perfect fit of elements. Broken up by interludes exploring dreamy acoustics, Ethereal Drum n Bass loops and perusing baselines, its main songs are given space to breath in these intriguing lulls. Venturing into Shoegazing guitar aesthetics and mammoth Nu Metal adjacent grooves, Boston Manor navigate their inspirations with class, birthing fiery songs with inviting passion and emotional resonance to engulf. The whole affair is breezy, warm and uplifting as swells of aggression are vented with positivity. Its definitely a contender for best Metal album of the year! I've struggled to put this one down.

Rating: 8/10

Conquer Divide "Slow Burn" (2023)

 

Churning the Pop Metal formula through a dense wall of sound, American rockers Conquer Divide caught my ear with their empowered effeminate vocals sailing over meaty melodic Metal that's far from original, trendy for the times yet endearing. Overt influences present themselves through the likes of Spiritbox akin breakdowns and Bring Me The Horizon's in vogue glitchy electronics. Arriving at obvious intervals, between these blushes emerges a kind beast exercising personal demons. The usual themes of mental struggle and emotional short comings get channeled into cathartic screams and firm singing that spins a tune better than most of their contemporaries.

Slow Burn is far from perfect. A strong succession of bangers dissipates into a mediocre indulgence where cracks start to emerge. Wincing lyrics and underwhelming riffs crop up between an otherwise enjoyable atmosphere. Driven by soft distortion guitars woven with synth, dense floods of brooding, powerful sound wash by. There best moments play purely aesthetic, Castillo's vocal tune often defining its impact. Its a far cry from a captivating opening stint. Songwriting falls of a cliff, much of the preceding music rests on the albums excellent production. Instruments shy from the limelight, leaving the charm to linger on lyrical themes that are hit and miss.

There is clearly a lot of potential here. The opening songs offer much more musically. Although the backing instrumentation on verses mostly paints a blank slate for Castillo, they swell together with big upheavals in the catchy choruses and breaks. This is where Conquer Divide excel every time. A dynamic momentum emerges, propelling the themes of internal battle and personal woe into something antidotal and soothing. Its a very familiar formula yet well executed in their better stride.

Rating: 5/10

Ankor "Embers" (2024)

 

I take no pleasure in negativity. After a good go at this one, due to personal recommendation, I've found little positive to say. Hailing from Spain, Ankor have been at it for over twenty years! This latest iteration finds them splicing bouncy Djent leaning Metal with garish Trance synths with an unsurprising Pop tilt. Singer Jessie Williams occasionally offers up an indulgent softness but mostly soars with power that lacks soul, clean but all too reminiscent of others in the female fronted European Metal scene. Things get uncomfortable when dropping into cheesy spoken half raps. The lyrics are weak and mostly juvenile takes on mental struggle. The harsh screams from Julio Lopez mostly rub me the wrong way too. Not my cup of tea.

Behind the pairs front presence,instrumentals come varied. Not locking in on a distinct style, they flummox between brutal guitar chugs and symphonic surges. Shifts in tone rarely gratify and momentum is often dispelled by the vocal cadences put in front. It makes much of the music forgettable and generic in its stride. Trance Synths bluster loud and bold, crashing in around guitars with a lack of spiritual cohesion. The vibes clash, I imagine enjoyment of such chemistry would be rather niche.

If I can bestow any positivity, a few arrangements catch the ear. The soft vocals on Embers and fair portion of Stereo has engaging passages but they are always squashed between the unremarkable. The arrival of a dance-floor stomp upon its conclusion is a gratifying climax, this record however, was clearly not for me.

Rating: 2/10

Chaosbay "The Way To Hell" (2024)

 

Hopefully paving the path to a new record, German outfit Chaosbay have been dropping singles, now wrapped into this three track EP. Showcasing the next iteration of their high-octane Djent Metalcore fusion, a familiar epic of soaring sharp vocal crescendo over the shimmer of dense guitar chords reigns supreme between some plunges of aggression. Money, a collaboration with We Are Pigs, is thee fruitful affair here. Effeminate vocals unite for a catchy chorus hook that predictably swings for the fences with its preceding dirty breakdown. Its swift looping structure and screamed conclusion quickly becomes an ear worm. A shared approach for two of the three.

Fast and snappy, the straightforward strikes each aim for lands firmly. Interwoven electronics, attention to detail and wall of sound production lights up relatively simplistic songs. Only the title track has a progressive structure, brooding its dreary theme to a crunchy conclusion with dirty, slamming guitar stunts. It too clocks in an easily digestible three minutes, a notable attribute as the band seem to shoot straight with imminently enjoyable and appealing ideas fleshed out for easy appeal.

Rating: 3/10

Sleep Token "Take Me Back To Eden" (2023)

 

Currently catching a wave of attention within the Metal community, this anonymous collective known as Sleep Token have deployed their third effort, Take Me Back To Eden, like a stealth weapon to subvert fans of metallic abrasion into its soft and glossy gushings of watered down Ethereal Pop. Propped up by the remarkable voice of front-man "Vessel", his enigmatic voice stands in contrast to expectations. Learning routinely into his subtle vibrato tremble, this vulnerable voice emerges strong and self known, a firm assertion of individual expression, unafraid of ones own shadows.

This lengthy hour duration is held together by solely Vessel, the glue for a rather weak instrumental footing. His performance illuminates and engages, a delightful indulgence with a singer exploring their inner self through immense range and presentation that will delight over and over. Behind him a bland assemble of opposite ends of a spectrum. On its metallic side, the groaning slams of Djent guitar noise seem unable to escape the rhythmic shadow of Deftones and melodic oriented Fightstar.

That's actually a smaller component of the record. Instrumentation swings to its lighter side with most of this music. Soft airy synths routinely paint a warm Ethereal breeze for easy percussive beats and dreamy melodies to burgeon within its cloudy Pop design. On examination this is a rather dull and bland passing in comparison to similar Pop music of the day. Its grooves and tunes lack assertion and distinction, the ones that do, ie Are You Really Okay? have an uncanny resemblance of dejavu.

Some occasional interesting chemistries do blossom in this relationship between its two extremes, yet never do they appear entangled with any freshness. One is always an aesthetic compliment to the other, both are oriented in that textural direction. It becomes sterile with familiarity as its shallow blandness seems an extension of current Pop Metal temperaments. With little memorable on the instrumental front, Vessel gets in your mind like a true ear worm, propping its merits up. Despite having such a talent within the ranks, the hype seems oriented around exposure to ideas better explored elsewhere.

Rating: 5/10

Boston Manor "Datura" (2022)

 

Datura, a brief twenty six minute strive housing four tracks on the bleeding edge of Pop Metal. Embracing Djent guitar tones and the Linkin Park method, Bring Me The Horizon have undoubtedly ushered in an era yet to be named with fresh acts reveling in their shadow. Fellow Brits Boston Manor caught my ear among the noise. At the core, catchy lyrical lines and guitar hooks sell the songs. The arrangement felt inspired, with depth, as Floodlights, Foxglove, Passanger and Crocus rope one in.

 

Each has distinct explorations of this sound's borders. Starting off with siren-like guitar wails and mammoth riffs on restraint, the airy atmosphere toys with intensity dynamics as singer Cox delivers teh best of his soaring presence. Foxglove deploys a simple kick snare dance beat. Chunks of low end guitar mesh this dance-floor sensibility with competent groove. It all shimmers in the lead guitars ambiguous effects pedal flange.

Passanger's leans into Cox's appeal as he soars again above a snappy snare kick groove and distanced shoegazing guitar chords. It reaches for an epic, which dispels into subdued nightclub kicks and thunderous drums, building to climax again. Crocus is the darker display, its guitars reveling in distant distortions as stabs of angular riffs penetrates the groove. Its tone reminds me of Cane Hill's acoustic Grunge moment.

The rest of this record is fluffed with instrumental electronic sound design, failing to resonate. The musical core however, was a strong show of craft as its instrumental contributions toyed with texture and intensity in a woven mesh of familiarity and depth. As one gazes on its particulars, the simplistic appeals of riffs and drum beats become awash in its textural design which melds between these musicians just wonderfully. One to keep an eye on moving forward! Their prior efforts not so appealing on a brief listen.

Rating: 6/10

BABYMETAL "The Other One" (2023)

 

A lack of anticipation for this newest BABYMETAL record seems obvious in retrospect as its singles and promotional songs mustered little excitement in the build up. Having binged the record somewhat, I've been struck by how underwhelming the music is in comparison to prior records. Where are the banging riffs, cheeky chants and surprises along the way? The Other One seems subdued in approach, toning down extremities and eccentricities, curbing the wild in favor of easily digestible song writing.

Much of the heavy lifting is handed to Su-Metal, who struggles to find hooks and cadences to forge the unforgettable songs heard in the past. She sits front and center with a tame sequence of bland singing that feels so monotone in creative terms.

Perhaps Mirror Mirror comes close to capturing that old magic, a willingness to embrace the wild instrumentally can be heard but referencing the old "mirror mirror on the wall" fable leads nowhere. Elsewhere on the record eclectic directions can be heard but never does a melody, hook or groove converge on something memorable.

Time Wave explores a soft take on Club and Trance aesthetics, Metalizm toys with hard percussion underneath eastern and oriental melodics, Monochrome traverses all too familiar Pop Metal trends with oh-woo chorus chants and a warm guitar melody.

Despite having much of the original band behind the music intact, The Other One feels like a shadow of former glory, a withdrawal to safe territory where ambition is traded for safety. Its an aesthetically treat, a gorgeous mix of Metal, Electronics and J-Pop singing. The songs may be pleasant and welcoming yet their bite is absent. Every song here feels like the one you might of skipped on previous records, to get to those fan favorite tracks like Gimme Chocolate, Karate and The One.

Rating: 5/10

Chaosbay "2222" (2022)

 

Built on top of the 2 Billion EP, 2222 expands horizons without a renewed distinction. A few recycled riffs and lyrical themes present deja-vu moments, drilling the theme down ones throat. Otherwise, its a fair effort maintaining its demeanor. Still playing out the Periphery formula, its glossy, crisp production and juxtaposition between jolted aggression and gleaming melodic gets to play out opposites on occasion. A couple bright poppy tracks get a lone run, as do the regular stomps of polyrythmic Djent brutality. The later emphasized by some ridiculous bass noise rumbling in tight spots.

A handful of guest voices spice things up along the way but with the bands dynamic so firmly established, I found myself simply content on many a spin, lacking that craving to climb back in. Boxes resembled a viral infection upon contact. 2222 has not had that impact. Flowing song structures and the sparkling dynamics of electronic manipulation didn't lick like before. Its odd, an attentive rundown reveals nothing but quality and craft, with plenty of stunning singing yet somehow the gravitas was lacking. Its more likely to be a reflection of my mood, more so than the record itself.

Rating: 6/10

Chaosbay "Asylum" (2020)

 

One of this years most exciting releases, Boxes, was my introduction to the German Progressive Metal outfit. Starting at a peak of evolution and working your way back can often taint the musical discovery. With Asylum, all I could initially hear was the distance from their now Periphery inspired, high octane foray of cutting edge melodic Metal. With a less punchy production, a lack of angular grooves and feisty aggression, I overlooked the emotional outpouring this record is. Sure, it has moments of might with chops of metallic onslaught and shouty screams but where Asylum shines is in scenic melody where the music transforms from powerful riff lead barrages to heart felt singing and moving lead guitar licks, which it has in a plentiful supply!

The heavy djent riffs, Metalcore breakdowns and jolting polyrhythmic grooves quickly subsided from focus as the lyrics started to raise up its streams of warmth and color. Passionate words of social-political consciousness took sway with stems of plain spoken ideals and morals expressed bluntly from a compassionate space. With each passing listen my attention shifted from the arsenal of competent bouncy riffs to the Pop Metal singing and acoustic led passageways that carve a path through the carnage. It all brings me back around to the albums cover. A calm of lush seas, present among the chaos of a fiery storm. The name too feels like a commentary on the feeling of being institutionalized by their perceived state of current society.

As a whole the dynamism isn't quite there. The frequent sways plunging into punchy metallic aggressiveness a little to typical for the times but in the melodic component it finds plenty of catchy endearing tunes, often amped up by timely guitar solos and warm singing. All in all its a really interesting record, one I feel like if I were forced to listen on a regular basis I'd probably end up loving as my enjoyment has only grown from the initial luke-warm reaction. Chaosbay clearly have something to offer the current trend in Metal and it seems as if they are on the cusp of a fantastic next step. There next full length effort will be one to keep an eye out for!

Rating: 7/10

BABYMETAL "Metal Galaxy" (2019)

My anticipation for this record was soured somewhat by lead single Pa Pa Ya. Its a tad obnoxious and overt but that's one of this acts charms, to dial its elements up! I still think its the weaker track but it has grown on me. The rest of this new record was a total hit from the get go. Da Da Dance blasts the listening experience into the stratosphere with its electrifying guitar taping illuminating the jolting synths and cutesy "Babymetal" chant. What a tone setter for a fun record that does what these musicians do best, bringing ferocious modern Metal together with sugar coated Pop in quirky memorable fusions. This time around a hint of worldly sounds creep onto a couple of songs, expanding the bands horizons, delivering another fine chapter in the journey.

Something about the way this record rolls out, a couple of its themes too, give a sense of arcade and adventure. Its almost as if each song has a linage with a video game. Each one I could envision a music video related to the arcade, perhaps the "don't give up, game over or continue" lyrics sunk in a little to deep. Every track arrives with a different spice, only Kagerou sounds like a leftover cut from Metal Resistance. Shine also echos of The One but mostly its new and bold territory for the band while retaining their distinctive musical identity and high octane production.

Japaneses exclusive tracks BBAB and BXMXC are wonderfully obnoxious in polar opposite ways. The first has its glossy Pop Metal charm and the latter an exercise in sheer rhythmic grooving on overdrive! Shanti and Oh Majini stand out with exotic cultural sounds, the latter dipping toes into Pirate Metal with bagpipes and rugged sailor chanting. Their is a noticeable growing presence of the backing musicians joining in vocally. "Kitsune Of Metal God" gets an entire track of demonic chants through its descending, eerie and tribal atmosphere on In The Name Of.

Its jam packed with variety and amazing hooks to get stuck in your mind. More voices may enter the fold but again its Suzuka Nakamoto who's voice soaks in the limelight, elevating every moment she is present. I particularly loved the songs where she gets to sing in a poppier context. It feels like this record has pushed its boundaries as the heavy side feels equally embellished. Maybe the drumming didn't ramp up the intensity with blast beats and the like but the Djent guitar tones are masterfully dense an tonal, bordering on guttural for comparison. Perhaps the meatiest Ive heard yet!

Much like their other two records, gems and numbers that don't stick as much make the sum of its parts. This time around the variety carries it and plays solidly with an arsenal of new songs. It has been a pleasure to indulge with and a reminder of why this band are so exciting. Anything is possible in Metal and these directions and avenues are so much more interesting that other bands grinding out the same old recycled styles. Babymetal's freshness is a real strength! It's hard to say if they have reached a peak but each record gives my that feeling they could reach higher peaks!

Rating: 8/10
Favorite Tracks: Da Da Dance, Brand New Day, BBAB, Distortion, BXMXC,