Ghosts Of Atlantis "Riddles Of The Sycophants" (2023)

 

Even as I sit to write, the words don't come to me. Riddles Of The Sycophants is fantastically competent and yet distinctly generic. The evolution of Symphonic Black Metal, spurred on by late era Dimmu Borgir, has ventured into metallic and orchestral extremity. Weaving mightily angular and rhythmic guitars with stabbing gusts of nightly symphony, the genre's songwriting has escaped the chains of its foundations. No longer simplistic jabs of synth melody and rhythm guitars, the sound has taken on a vivid theatrical intensity, best realized on Shade Empire's classic Omega Arcane.

 Ghosts Of Atlantis failed to tell me why they are different. With the many spins, I've not felt a unique character emerge, or even defining moments in songs that grabbed my attention. Despite this, its lack of flair and originality hasn't hurt a single listen. Its been a welcome venture through turbulent terrain, traversed with elegance and a firm grasp on the dynamics of its varied instrumentation. They serve to aid its core vision, in doing so, lacks any individual magnetism. Its been quite the odd experience, a wonderfully executed record that fails to bring anything new to the table.

Rating: 5/10

Health "Ashamed" (2023)

 

Jumping around their discography, looking for an entry, it was this latest single I really latched onto. Health are a Californian trio that have been at it for almost two decades. Having many remix albums intermingled among their main efforts, its a dense wall of releases venturing in collaborative directions. This four track Ashamed has a balanced mix, two originals and two features. Their sound aligns with Agrro-Tech and Industrial Metal. Its similar to Author & Punisher, deploying meaty slabs of noisy synth over subtle distortions like an assault vehicle guided by tight, hard hitting, snappy drums.

The mood is doom and gloom, a synthetic cyberpunk dystopia traversed at night under neon light. Vocals bleed dour, plain and monotone, then ascending with breezy respite when musical chemistry shifts and a little reverb carries them away. This is the transition of its first two songs, a complimenting shift that lines us up for Sicko.

A sample of Godflesh's classic Breed slips into this one, nestled among its rebuilt core bass and drum groove. Recycling its charm, dreary flat vocals drift by in a haze, lining up an alarmist descend of hellish synth to dazzle one in its sudden urgency.

 The last track, featuring Sierra, bustles with a dark dance floor energy, stepping up its pulsing energy to match the likes of Carpenter Brut and Mick Gorden's Doom Eternal soundtrack blueprint. It retains Health's distinctness, a dense wall of harsh synths turned to a gloomy outlook with its softly pessimistic singing. A powerful introduction to a band who's coming full length I am likely to enjoy!

Rating: 5/10

André 3000 "New Blue Sun" (2023)

 

A name that would forever manifest anticipation, the talents of André 3000 held promise, surely a musical gem in waiting? Many years on from his legendary career as the artistic half of Outkast, his return to music is a subtle one, venturing into mellow New-Age ambiences. His voice comes not through rap but woodwind as Andre expresses himself with flute performances that meander on free flowing journeys.

Clocking in at a meaty ninety minutes, these eight stints average over ten minutes in length but all share a common breezy ambiguity. Blurry forms, warm and resonate, yet illusive, express wonders lacking comprehension. A swaying mix of environmental sounds and flashes of dazzling melody, nothing concrete is ever anchored to. Instead we drift across moody landscapes in perpetual limbo, at the mercy of this whim.

Its hazy, fever dream nature and free forming spirit makes these songs hard to latch upon. On the journey, many moments of textural beauty and fleeting chemistries arise but they dissolve into the ambience. Each track boils down to that flavor, if you want its company for however long it endures. The two lengthiest cuts didn't do it for me but the rest served a peaceful, captivating New-Age experience, reveling in their own mystique. Its far flung from the rap record everyone wanted but why not? Clearly Andree had a different expression within him and its worth checking out.

Rating: 6/10

Love Is Colder Than Death "Teignmouth" (1991)

 

A recent emotional plunge had me engrossed within the historical worldly sounds of Dead Can Dance again. Now armed with Spotify's magical recommendation algorithm, I'm turned onto more Neoclassic Darkwave music. Capturing the feeling of pre technological civilizations, Susann Heinrich's renaissance inspired singing musters a familiar burden, the crushing weight of biblical shame and life's hardships our ancestors once endured. Its wrapped in unease and tension, as suffering and gloom penetrates these songs mysterious beauties. Questo Mostrarsi embodies this religiosity as its funeral organs resonate with the sins of humanity, a world view that once enraptured humans across Europe just a handful of centuries ago.

When incorporating percussion and keyboards, its performances are stiff and jagged, often breaking its own spell to some extent. Jolting hysterical sounds jostle in on occasion, as if to create a haunting vessel emerging from the shadows. Its bold edges are enjoyable when embracing its vision but much of this amateurish tonality seems so close to something stellar, had its production been more organically cultivated. These bold, punchy sounds further their presence in the records second half when Ralf Donis steps up, his stoic singing lingers in the shadow of his peer. More electronic sounds bustle in, Ralf deploying snarly sneers and groaned vocals which have the music bordering Skinny Puppy's Electro-Industrial with Chorn. The following Wild World has its moment as the two styles find a gripping chemistry together.

A common finality of curation comes to mind. Teignmouth engrosses one in a cultured, religious, historical worldly spell but consistency pulls us out as its stark execution breaks the magic. Caught between two ideas and lacking the finesse to pull it off, this sits with me as a flawed record that can be loved for Heinrich's voice who pulls us into its vision. With that, I am certain more spins would grow fonder, however I am keen and curious to go down this rabbit hole with new tools of discovery! Had to blurt out my thoughts and move on swiftly.

Rating: 6/10

Turnstile "New Heart Designs" (2023)

 

Today I've stumbled upon a pleasant surprise, a trio of Turnstile songs re-imagined on this latest single. Teaming up with Badbadnotgood, the bands songs get reworked into dreamy mellow alternates. Turns out Yates' clean singing is a supple match for these Psychedelia tinged instrumentals composed of soft pianos and woodwinds drowning in reverberating ambiences. His original takes having an inspired, ample chemistry.

It feels like a happy accident, a curious collision that's led to reworking three tracks from Glow On in a complete u-turn. Mystery gets an airy treatment, a relaxing stroll through an ethereal garden that some how mellows out the stained shouts. Bringing in soft percussion, Alien Love Call turns Lounge in demeanor, squeezing in some free flowing Jazz improv jams between the main vocal sections. Underwater Boi looses me a little as things turn tripy and exotic. Still decent but dang the first two cuts are magic!

Rating: 3/10

Këkht Aräkh "Night & Love" (2019)

 

Another early 90s Black Metal love letter! Unlike its predecessor Pale Swordsman, Këkht Aräkh's first full length seems a fraction too generic among the many who try to capture that era. Its gritty aesthetics are harsh, a crisp coldness splattered with clattering percussion over blurry rumbling baselines. Shriek howls, throaty cries and noisy distortion guitars paint a familiar sight of unrelenting Norwegian darkness.

On this debut outing, an arsenal of all to typical arrangements fail to muster excitement in the wake of all that came before. Despite its competency and mastery of the grim aesthetic, the aggressive stints of loose blast beats, shrill tremolo guitar and beastly shouts from the shadows fail to add to the conversation. It left the project feeling like a typical cast iron clone from an era that many have tried to recreate.

Night & Love, however, is littered with lonely interludes, sullen moments of reclusive beauty. Hints of nature intruding on soft folkish lullabies and ethereal acoustic guitars. They play as a treat of their own between the hard shadowy onslaughts. On occasion accompanied by a tender clean male voice, these sometimes eerie and often melancholic tunes swiftly became the most intriguing aspects of the record.

Its no place for me to say what an artist should do with their music but hearing this tandem of a unique voice, wedged between a clear and shared obsession with early Norwegian Black Metal, has me feeling as if their talents are misguided. Këkht Aräkh has caught my attention with an impressionable nostalgic venture yet they clearly have something else to offer. The two are yet to merge in a fruitful way as I hear it.

Kyros "Esoterica" (2023)

 

Although just a three track single, Esoterica's lengthier twenty minutes make it feel worthy of comment. The music however, certainly perks the ears! Bright, luminous, bold and daring, Kyros take the glory of Progressive instrumentation head on. The wall of sound production and glossy finish celebrates their musical artistry with unrivaled vibrancy on all fronts. Punchy expression and warming hooks feel stacked, complimenting layers of sound, yielding a sonic aesthetic housing ripe song writing.

 Its opening title track infuses and grossing percussive dance floor energy. As one is pulled in by its cruising pace, classic House pianos hit to affirm its inspirations before embarking on a jiving instrumental foray. The cohesion is superb, gears shift as we propel down a musical highway. The following Illusions Inside takes a steadied yet punchy approach with its drums. Slow yet big grooves carefully guiding us into its magnetic climax. The vocal arrive in a crooning swell, masculine and effeminate voices exchange lyrical expressions, harmonizing in a captivating spell.

its ten minute closer, The End In Mind, had less sway over me. In comparison, it didn't quite connect with a focal feature yet the song meanders all over the place like a jam session recurring to a theme on occasion. Its impressive, lots of remarkable dexterous performances yet not quite ticking the memorable box. Good to see this band are in a wonderfully creative place! I wonder if these songs will appear on a record soon.

Rating: 5/10

Code Orange "The Above" (2023)

My own unrivaled excitement for this release has manifested into a glum disappointment tainting The Above. Their previous outing, Underneath, set high expectations. The glitched out dystopian mania shook up a violent foundation, breathing new life into a genre where fresh territory is hard to find. Partially recoiling from such brutal intensities, the band intermingle a reinvention of 90s nostalgia.

Most prominent, their typical approach to Hardcore brutality seem skewed towards Nu Metal. The most aggressive riffs deploy the dissonance and syncopation flavors of that era with a subtlety that blunts its edge. Trademark manic spurts of chaos groan with the downtrodden vibes of a once ridiculed genre. Their tight technical execution absent in favor of this loose, dirty, moody aesthetic inspired by past trends.

Subtly woven in, the texture of Grunge and Alternative Metal has its moments too. On The Above, the band weave through a fair set of intensities and ideals but little about the record feels like a cohesive vision. More so, an exploration of loosely connected ideas drawing from the decades various styles. Some songs step into radio rock friendly verse chorus exchanges, others meander through an arsenal of riffs.

Reba Meyers gets to offer more of her voice, sometimes accompanied by string sections, yet the step into new territory feels off. Mirror is a redeeming experiment. Its unusual Trip-Hop beat seems to aid the songs swell of emotion. Other than that, the record offers little I wanted to come back too. Its angsty downtrodden inspirational origins did manifest with uniqueness. It was just not too my taste sadly.

 Rating: 5/10

Këkht Aräkh "Pale Swordsman" (2021)

 

Perhaps not a love letter but an embodiment of Black Metal before 94, one man band Këkht Aräkh's retrograde approach is a vivid artistic capture. With both its low-fi aesthetics and raw musical ideals, this project could convince seasoned listeners of imagined early origins. Many of its compositions rehash Burzum and Darkthrone, slipping itself into that era. The later seeming the dominant of two obvious inspirations.

Of course this is a product of our current era. Widespread accessibility and distribution lets musicians peer into the past and examine what might of been. Pale Swordsman adds little to the conversation, the core of its music drawing stiffly from the riffing techniques, drum patterns and arrangements that made the pioneers so unique. Disguising melodies within distortion dissonance, ambushing subtle grooves on top of stark breaks, all housed under a loose incessant rattle of amateur blast beats.

Originality can be found, almost exclusively within its interludes. Sad, lonely, melancholic melodies, these instrumentals conjure a soft dreary romanticism. The tender clean singing of Swordsman steers this into a charming folkish lullaby. Its a character that could have been leaned into, potentially forging a fresh take on old ideals but the two play separated, swaying between one another. An essential listen for fans of the aforementioned but nothing ground breaking, good nostalgic revival.

Rating: 7/10

City Morgue "My Bloody America" (2023)

 

Still one to check in with, City Morgue return recycling a familiar flavor of feisty aggression. Fusing Trap with Horrorcore and touches of Metal, the duo deploy harsh percussion aesthetics again. Rattling hi-hats and distorted base kicks thump no longer a novelty. Meeting spooky samples and lean distortion guitars, beat production paints ghoulish, nightmare scenarios for their unapologetic lyrics to reign a boisterous noise. Priding its content on death, hate, gunplay and machismo, a lack of depth is hardly a surprise. Most verses simply load in vile obscenities on aggravated flows spat hard.

Among its various leanings, a sense of something curious lingers but never arrives. Despite being a rather dull thirty minutes, the record has a certain foul charisma fit for horror but lacks substance. Its instrumentals fail to lean into its intriguing elements. Only Wicked elevated this unsettled energy to a catchy level. A banger among mediocrity. Its short looping melody illuminates when all instruments fire together. I still think this duo have something great to offer but currently I'm just not feeling it.

Rating: 4/10

S1gns Of L1fe "The Age Of Cymatics" (2021)

 

This entry serves has a marker of discovery, a favored familiar frontier, voyaged by an artist exploring that magical space between distant stars and our imaginations. Cosmic Ambience, as I've come to call it, the space inspired synth style mastered by Dreamstate Logic, which became an obsession last year. Spotify's algorithms has finally steered me on to neighboring territory. Signs Of Life, presumably using the 1s to distinguish the name, provides a welcome hour of lengthy tracks stiring temporal focus, through dense stellar atmospheres that calm and sooth in their droning.

To deter from my usual astral analogies, I'll get direct. Signs has an approach of intention. Its strengths emanate from visible synths arranged with character and purpose. Bustling on looping melodies, alongside sparse glitched percussion, little feels hidden. The craft doesn't linger in reverberations but strides inline with its projections. Although there is an apt amount of spacious echos for its aesthetic, the spacey mood is thrust forth by bold instruments resonating with one another. Airy pads and lofty synths are present throughout but serve more so as a glue.

I also suspect the VSTs behind this sound are similar, with some bass lines and other tones having an uncanny resemblance. Signs also loves the swells of reverb that shift the music into new phases. One can feelsa greater sense of progression and direction changing on these tranquil cosmic voyages. I'm pleased to have discovered more of this niche to add to my collection, its fantastic music for getting in the zone. This too joins the Temporal Focus playlist. Still searching for more!

Rating: 7/10

Old Tower "Draconic Synthesis" (2023)

Esoteric, arcane and obscure, Draconic Synthesis engulfs us on a mystic venture the marvels of sound design. Tinkering and experimentation has led to fruitful explorations of ambiguous wonder, found in gaps between occult voicings, astral synths and ghostly reverberations. This new terrain still stems from foundations of old castly Dungeon Synth, Old Tower continues an intriguing evolution into dark ambience and soundscapes, while fluctuating to familiar footings on this entrancing forty minutes.

Heard through a candles flickering flame, wildlife sounds of night accompany a subtle tropical flavor on its lingering melody. A dusky opener signaling new sounds, Draconis Arcanum has beautiful balance. One could imagine it as the backdrop to a Diablo theme alike game. Ruins and Horned Glossolia ressurects this direction with its lonely steel acoustic guitar, followed then by Sacred Carvings. This song leans fully into this cultural resonance superbly, akin to Dead Can Dance's transformative magic.

Spirit Vessel has a similar incarnation, evoking forbidden spirits from the graves with classic dungeon dweller magics. Its a more "traditional" piece for this artists however the closing Crafting The Symmetry Of Aeons feels like their most ambitious work to date. With many distant clanks, rattles, drips and drops, ghostly voices breeze by forgotten corridors as the music strides into foreboding chambers of sequestered darkness. The emerging synths and percussion give one a sense of tainted triumph over what lingered before its arrival. The strike of a gong bringing it to a sudden close.

Rating: 8/10

Gunship "Unicorn" (2023)

 

Five years proved a worthy wait, Unicorn returns riding into a surreal synthetic sunset of its own design. Fully focused on fundamentals, the British duo Gunship fine tune their classy Synthwave sound, pulling no new strings and sticking to proven ideals. To achieve this, songwriting must reign supreme. That challenge is met with an impressive cast of musical genius. Returning unions with Tim Cappello and Carpenter Brut prevail again, alongside giants like John Carpenter and Dave Lombardo, once of Slayer. An impressive roster, who admittedly appear on the records stronger tracks.

Its catchiest hooks, the lyrically infectious cadences and tantalizing neon synth melodies, a fruitful yield of collaborative chemistry. A delight early on within its loaded roll out. Vocal variety proves a strength, former Fightstar band mate Charlie Simpson, one of the best fits among a talented cast. The band Health bring keen Prodigy flare to the fold and Power Glove seems the most subdued arrangement given there reputation for lively retro VGM inspirations. Ghost plays a sleepy lull between the energetic dance-floor thrusts of Weaponised Love and Darkness For Dreams.

 In this final stretch the record steadies into a soft groove, arriving with less flash in the pan. Focused on its lyrical manifestations of nostalgic imaginations, the lengthy hour traverses its final temperaments with moody indulgences and subdued flavors. The love of craft and care in handling these inspirations percolates its glossy aesthetic, bowing out with strides for anthemic heights that landed off a little to my ears. Unicorn is a brilliant return. Not a perfect record but seemingly the best of their three chapters.

Rating: 7/10

3TEETH "EndEx" (2023)

 

Competently entertaining yet lacking a defining feature, 3TEETH returns, armed with a force of subdued aggression that gets wrapped up in its own mechanical dystopian aesthetics. Their fourth effort, EndEx, plays out a string of songs, ambling through intensities, wandering aimless along a disgruntled landscape of urban decay.

 Collaborating with Mick Gordon of Doom soundtrack notoriety, their combined chemistry yields little obvious beyond the siren likes synths that blare distress behind chunky guitar riffs. It feels like a missed opportunity to elevate the musical blueprint. Perhaps his influence goes beyond its credits as the whole record feels cohesive.

On first listen, EndEx felt like a flop, passing without grabbing my attention. Repetitious listens unveiled a lack of hooks and "bangers". This record has mood, aesthetics and atmosphere. It lacks songs, memorable moments and biting lyrics. Riffs are found within its arsenal, often disconnected from the music it emerges from.

Its most memorable moment goes to Ho99o9, the duos energy injecting much needed novelty to latch onto, their shout raps fitting the distress of the guitars. I'm left with little to say, a fun listen but lacks a command of ones attention to force its artistic intent.

Rating: 5/10

Marconi Union "Weightless" (2012)

 

Discovered through a scientific podcast about the effects of music on our psychology and physiology, Weightless has been studied to learn of its calming effect on listeners. This was no mystery to me, as someone who suffers with anxiety at times, I learned long ago the powerful magic of ease Ambient music can bestow upon its recipient. Unlike my typical plunges into random areas of this genre, British duo Marconi Union's approach fits snugly into a relaxing yet artful region of Ambient I adore.

Lengthy stints drift drearily through ambiguous atmospheres, the jaws of danger remaining inanimate. A soothing stillness passes its balmy brood, sheltered from rainy weathers subdued. Melodies linger in limbo, sluggish slumps of tempo mask meaning and purpose. Tensions are tranquil, suspense soothing and apprehensions amiss.

 Weightless' tonality and textures holds many unknown mysteries that could easily be manipulated into darkly stressful taunts. Unease and suspense sit central to its blueprint yet the ambiguous design is played perfectly. Disconnected, un-anchored melodies strip out all identity and meaning. The remaining impressions have no tilt, you will find nothing happy, upbeat or joyous at play among its six parts.

Its lack of emotion is perhaps why Weightless is so soothing, a removal of drama and noise from ones mind as we indulge at restful tempos. Cuts two and five elevate slightly with soft percussion, the later including soft Downtempo like bass, reminiscent of Yagya. Its all wonderfully orchestrated, the endless dawning of its airy synths grasping one in its moment. Instant classic, one for the Temporal Focus playlist.

Rating: 9/10