Self-releasing an album is a monumental effort. Between production, distribution, artwork, press, yadda yadda yadda, the logistical weight quickly consumes vast amounts of time, money and energy. And that’s before you factor in the arduous task of creating music that’s actually fucking good. Indeed, for a young band, initial encounters are everything, which means it behooves one to ensure everything is as polished and professional as possible. Desoration understands this.1 The Christchurch, New Zealand five-piece submitted their debut album, NON, via AMG’s contact form, catching my eye with their professional-grade press kit. Since their 2020 formation, the group has been refining their identity, with 2024’s Apotechnosis EP introducing Desoration’s techy blend of melodic death metal. NON aims to take this to a new level, weaving symphonic textures into their deathly foundation alongside a narrative that charts a protagonist’s descent from modern despair into an otherworldly transformation, culminating in their emergence as a “nemessiah” who brings about the total annihilation of the corporeal plane.2 Will NON’s ambition be a non-starter? Or will it be a non-negotiable addition to your playlist?

Puns aside, NON frequently oscillates between melodic death and symphonic black metal. Tracks like “Corporealisation Threshold,” “Deadened and Scarified” and “Excoriating Reality” channel the guitar-forward spirit of Omnium Gatherum or Mors Principium Est, while others are forged in the cold 90s-era symphonic black mold of yore (“Black Dawn,” “The Befouled Ziggurat of Non”). Desoration even finds room to pepper in the punchy, rhythmic grooves of Lamb of God (“Beyond the Veil of Sleep”) or the operatic brutality of Fleshgod Apocalypse (“Singularity Ritual,” “Interitus the Herald of Ruin”). Regardless of NON’s stylistic lean, Desoration fortifies every note with pinpoint accuracy, as high-velocity picking, assaulting blasts and syncopated chugging underpin dramatic synchestral flourishes. The orchestral arrangements act as NON’s nexus, fueling the record’s kinetic energy with both urgency and dramatic intensity. Though Desoration’s sound doesn’t break new ground, the formula works as a whole, relying on instrumental prowess to keep the listener locked in.

NON by Desoration

Great albums live or die by their songwriting, and the writing on NON is solid. “Singularity Ritual,” “Those Who Dwell in Darkness” and “Interitus the Herald of Ruin” thrive on sharp hooks, cavalry-charge gallops and solos brimming with bright, sweeping scales that put Desoration’s talent on full display. “Corporealisation Threshold,” in particular, reaches its zenith during a synchronized closing battery of percussive riffing and double-kick work. It’s a necessary jolt of energy that arrives just in time, delivering the adrenaline spike I found myself chasing through the preceding tracks. While the writing isn’t perfectly consistent across all eleven songs—”Beyond the Veil of Sleep,” for instance, lacks hooks and “Black Dawn” is far too long—NON overcomes these lulls through Desoration’s sheer talent and an obvious command of the melodic death sound.

Favoring a synthetic sheen, NON’s main weakness is its production. While a sterilized production style is a common aesthetic that many bands seemingly adopt for convenience, here it results in an overly digitized sound that quickly becomes tiresome. In fact, I spent my entire time with NON craving the dynamics Desoration abandoned in the editing room. Aean Campbell’s vocals are adept and hit all the standard death beats, but they sit so far forward in the mix that they drown out much of the instrumental nuance, particularly the guitars. The biggest tragedy, however, is the drums. Bennett Jones’ performance itself is stellar, but the tones are a disaster. The toms sound thin, and the cymbals are a wash of static. It honestly sounds like they plugged in a Roland electronic kit, hit “record” and called it a day. It’s a shame that low-effort tones bury such high-level playing. I understand the necessity of working within tight constraints to achieve a pro sound on an indie budget, but production this over-processed takes a toll on my feathery ears.

Desoration is a young act that radiates promise and NON proves these Kiwis possess the pedigree to compete globally. It’s frustrating that the production prevents the album from reaching its full potential. However, if you can look past this blemish, you’ll find a good melodic death record with solid songwriting and impressive performances full of symphonic carnage. NON firmly establishes Desoration as a group to watch.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Self-Released
Websites: desoration.bandcamp.com | desoration.com | facebook.com/desorationmetal
Releases Worldwide: February 6th, 2026

Stuck in the Filter: October 2025’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

They say it’s going to be a harsh winter this year. They always say that, and it’s almost never true, at least not from where I’ve set up camp. However, no matter the weather I am a harsh taskmaster, doling out grueling hours, no pay or benefits, and probably the worst coffee on the planet to my dutiful minions. It takes a special kind of person, motivated by pure unadulterated greed to ravenously scour the filter for dusty, almost-forgotten gems like they do.

But we are thankful for them for being exactly that! And we also benefit, in the form of quality(ish) chunks of glimmery, shimmery metal. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Riffy Representation

Xaoc // Repulsive Summoning [October 31, 2025 – Edgewood Arsenal Records]

Xaoc’s history is one of the more confusing I’ve encountered in my time writing for this blog. After breaking up in 2008, a new lineup spawned in 2022 to record and release Proxime Mortis from the ashes of songs written pre-breakup, supported by Edgewood Arsenal. At some point this year, two more members spawned in anticipation of this new slab Repulsive Summoning. But the band’s labeled as Split Up already on Metallum? I don’t understand what’s going on there, but at least I can say that Repulsive Summoning is a turbo banger! These riffs are bonkers, full of verve and swagger, brimming with groove and muscularity. A happy mix of Vomitory and Dormant Ordeal, this Virginian outfit know how to throw down. Highlights like “Ave Solva Coagula,” “Antima Samskara,” “The Great Perfected Ones,” and the entire “Degenerate Era” three-part suite reduce my body into a fine slurry by the grinding, vicious power of their riffs alone. But the rabid growls, ballistic percussion, and meaty guitar tones contain more than enough fuel to propel those riffs across this tight and thunderous 35-minute runtime. It’s a simple record, built to beat me down and leave me broken and bloodied, but it’s also an effortlessly memorable affair that leaves me wanting more despite the mounting medical bills. Don’t sleep on Xaoc!

Andy-War-Hall’s Succulent Surplus

Canvas of Silence // As the World Tree Fell [October 31st, 2025 – Rockshots Records]

Finnish symphonic metallers Canvas of Silence describe themselves as “prog-influenced chorus metal,” and that description goes far in outlining their debut As the World Tree Fell. Their core sound resembles a progged-out Nightwish moonlighting as a melodeath band, committing ludicrous bombast on symphonic-heavy cuts like “The Great Unknown” and “Wayfarer” amidst a sharp Gothenburg riff attack in “Watching the World Tree Fall” and “Drown.” Canvas of Silence mete out a balanced approach of light and dark sounds between Theocracyesque prog-power (“One With the Wind,” “Humanimal”) and Madder Mortem-like gothic twists (“Drown,” “Anthem for Ashes”), all reined in by the commanding vocal presence of singer Loimu Satakieli.1 Sitting somewhere between Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish, The Dark Element) and Agnete Kierkevaag (Madder Mortem), her impassioned and heavily-layered singing turns As the World Tree Fell into a smörgåsbord of lush, catchy and anthemic tunes of an uplifting, sing-along nature. Optimism permeates As the World Tree Fell, felt at a fever pitch on the enormous choral bridge of “Humanimal” and the folky power metal jaunt of “One With the Wind.” Even on lyrically dark/mournful passages like “Wayfarer” and “Garden of the Fallen,” Canvas of Silence deliver soaring, hopeful crescendos that at times reach Fellowship levels of good cheer. Canvas of Silence can craft sincerely beautiful moments, and though As the World Tree Fell’s production can be sterile and overly loud2 I am nothing but excited to see what these Finns can cook up next.

Spicie Forrest’s Punky Proferrings

Violent Testimony // Aggravate [October 17th, 2025 – Horror Pain Gore Death Productions]

Do you wish there was more grind in your life? Well, Cheyenne, Wyoming’s Violent Testimony just assumed you would. Combining the punky flair of Napalm Death with the lead foot ethos of early Pig Destroyer and Cattle Decapitation, debut LP Aggravate is 26 minutes of delicious grindy goodness. From the opening salvo of “God Complex Massacre” to the final detonations of “Hit N’ Run,” Violent Testimony shows absolutely no restraint. D.N.’s Gatling drums mow down everything in their path while T.W.’s serpentine bass clears the chaff and flattens any obstruction. Shrapnel propelled by N.Y.’s brutish, breakneck riffing can be seen burying itself in concrete walls, still quivering (“Rider in the Night,” “Psychotic Episode”). Caustic growls and vitriolic screams tear from T.W.’s throat at mach fuck (“Flashbang Celebration,” “Obligatory Manifestation of Infinite Grind”). With only two tracks exceeding the two-minute mark, Violent Testimony screams their piece with as much sound and fury as possible before moving on and picking their next bone with the system. This keeps Aggravate a lean, densely-packed offering. If you need to get pissed off right now and even the fastest death metal is too slow, Violent Testimony is all too happy to decimate the opposition with you.

Uaar // Galger og Brann [October 17th, 2025 – Fysisk Format Records]

Hailing from Oslo, Norway, crust outfit Uaar celebrates their tenth birthday by releasing their debut LP. Galger og Brann, which means “Gallows and Fire” in Norwegian, expands on the foundations laid by established acts like Skitsystem and Tragedy. With one foot firmly planted in black metal and the other in hardcore, Uaar unleashes a cacophony of rage unfettered. D-beats abound, courtesy of Truls Friesl Berg, creating a frantic, enraged atmosphere. Dag Schaug Carlsen’s blackened rasps are so cold they burn, matching the evil pall hanging over tracks like “Galeås” and “Den siste.” Post-flecked, Ancsty tendencies (“Alt Skal Brenne,” “Overalt”) peek through the feral hardcore riffage (“Håpet forsvinner”) of guitarists Erik Berg Friesl and Jon Schaug Carlsen, while bassist Stian S. Evensen provides the muscle to convince you these guys aren’t screwing around. Uaar is well-versed in their base genres, alternating between and mixing black metal and hardcore effortlessly. The occasional blues-tinged heavy metal lead—as in “Overalt” and “Dolken”—keep Galger og Brann from being a one-note affair. With a dearth of standout blackened hardcore releases this year, Uaar’s Galger og Brann is a welcome—if late—addition to the list.

Scorching Tomb // Ossuary [October 24th, 2025 – Time to Kill Records]

I’ll be honest, I’ve never considered Montreal, Canada, to be prime death metal territory. Luckily, Scorching Tomb doesn’t care what I think. Debut LP Ossuary is an aural violation born of Tren-induced hardcore aggression and filthy old school death metal. With a guitar tone (Philippe Lelbanc) like sandpaper and a bass like swallowing gravel (Miguel Lepage), Scorching Tomb plays in the same cesspools as Bloodgutter and Rotpit. We normally associate melted faces with guitar solos, but that honor belongs to whatever corrosive noises issue forth from vocalist Vincent Patrick Lajeunesse’s guts. Drummer Émile Savard loves a blast beat, often detonating them in short bursts to support an already bone-breaking assault (“Feel the Blade”). “Stalagmite3 Impalement” and “Sanctum of Bones (Ossuary)” are particularly savage, with tetanus-inflicting riffs and bloodthirsty screams threatening to drag you into the crypt to be used for meal prep. On “Skullcrush,” Sanguisugabogg’s Devin Swank perfectly matches Scorching Tomb’s vile depravity, cementing them as a promising new act in the scene. Ossuary is raging, muscle-bound, caveman death metal drowned in a vat of viscera and sewage, and it tastes incredible.

ClarkKent’s Gratifying Goodies

Sutratma // Adrift [October 3rd, 2025 – Self-Release]

While I didn’t purposely seek out more doom during my self-imposed month of picking only doom promos, Sutratma’s fifth full-length, Adrift, ranks as one of the better doom albums I listened to in November. This California four-piece has been writing funeral doom for 15 years, and it shows in their ability to craft effective melancholic slow-burns that strike a balance between melody and crushingly heavy. Adrift impresses straight out the gate with the piano-drenched “Wind and Sea.” This song nicely melds the sorrowful softness of the piano with punishing guitar riffs and impressive growls. Just like stalwarts My Dying Bride, Sutratma mixes growls with cleans, and Daniel Larios’s cleans effectively hit you right in the feels while the growls take on a more despairing note. There’s plenty of variety from song to song, with organs stealing the show on “Guiding Star” and a lovely melody on “The Great Bereaver” that builds up to a moving finale. Just like with Oromet, there’s a serenity to the music that is calming, and the skilled songwriting and musicianship lends a poignancy to it all. With the frenzy of list season upon us, it’s nice to have something like this to remind us that it’s okay to just slow down—even when an angry ape is berating you for more content.

Starer // Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness [October 10th, 2025 – Fiadh Productions]

Josh Hines, the one man behind black metal project, Starer, has been very busy. Since forming Starer in 2020, he has released four EPs and now, with the release of Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness, four LPs. I first became acquainted with this band on 2023’s Wind, Breeze, or Breath and was taken in by Hines’s aggressively atmospheric take on black metal. Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness hits the ground running on “I Cry Your Mother’s Blood” with some aggressively catchy melodies. The aggression continues on “Il-Kantilena” with its icy riffs and pumping blast beats. Meanwhile, “The Field of Reeds” combines the black n’ roll of Fell Omen with the fuzzy reverb of atmoblack for a rollicking good time. Hines screams into the void as subdued symphonics add layers of melody, providing a surprising amount of depth to each song. Because of the frenetic pace, the 50-minute runtime flies right by, even as songs like “Song of the Harper” do their best to vary the tempo. For black metal, the production is lush and gorgeous, giving air to all instruments. The epic, ten-minute finale is the culmination of Hines’s ability to put together complex and compelling music that both excites by its aggression and dazzles with its atmospherics. Black metal fans should not miss this one.

Grin Reaper’s Haunted Harvest

Black Cross Hotel // Songs for Switches [October 31st, 2025 – Someoddpilot Records]

Three years after dropping their favorably reviewed debut Hex, keys-drenched and industrialized outfit Black Cross Hotel returns bearing Songs for Switches. 80s-inspired synths, mid-paced chugs, and dance-ready grooves pack neatly into forty-one minutes of grubby fun, sure to interest fans of Ministry and Killing Joke, or anyone with a predilection for leather. Where Hex boasted a wider assortment of tempos, Songs for Switches narrows its focus to mid-paced songs with a keener emphasis on keyboard melodies. Averting a direction that could have been limiting, Black Cross Hotel smartly sidesteps this by shaving down song lengths and arranging the tracks for optimal pacing. Individual moments across the album evoke Me and That Man (“Eyes from Nowhere”), Soulfly (“Blood Dance”), and Joy Division (“Typo”), casting an eclectic array of sounds into Mount Gloom to forge ten dangerously fun tracks. Though I liked the album at first listen, it took multiple spins for Songs for Switches’ distilled aesthetic to fully unfurl, and once it did, my appreciation redoubled. With a sinister atmosphere designed as much for pain as pleasure, Black Cross Hotel has readied your room for a night you won’t forget.

Miasmata // Subterrania [October 31st, 2025 – Naturmacht Productions]

Still hawking their distinctive blend of meloblack and heavy metal, Miasmata dropped sophomore platter Subterrania on what was one of the most congested release days of 2025.4 In addition to the recurring influences of Windir (“Die at the Right Time”) and Iron Maiden (the intro to “Subterrania” smacks of The X Factor), Subterrania adds a dollop of thrash into the mix. Opener “Those Who Cross the Flame” struts out with a punky riff that wouldn’t be out of place on an Anthrax record, while “Full of the Devil” tastes as much like Testament or Havok as Diamond Head. The beauty of Miasmata, both on debut Unlight: Songs of Earth and Atrophy and Subterrania, is one-man mastermind Mike Wilson’s aptitude to synthesize a mighty host of influences into a unique sonic palette all his own. As Sharky noted in Unlight’s review, Miasmata has a knack for remarkable restraint. Subterrania clocks under forty minutes, layering slithery riffs upon one another in a way that propels the music in constant motion, shifting and unfolding so organically that the album slips by before you realize it’s over (an especially impressive feat considering the self-titled closer’s near fourteen-minute runtime). If you missed Miasmata’s latest on release day, go rectify that. Don’t let Subterrania get lost to the underground.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Autumnal Anomoly

夢遊病者 // РЛБ300119225 [October 28th, 2025 – Self Release]

As if plucked into lucidity from amidst a hazy, proggy machination, РЛБ30011922 steps into its narrative—an exploration of a beloved figure in its creator’s life, including sound clips describing the trials through which she persisted—with an entrancing stumble. Through an understated math rock lens, tight kit rhythms with a tension-building hi-hat clashes strut against a loud and leading bass voice across 37 minutes of fluid guitar textures. Whether it’s the chunky fusion reminiscent of Hackett-era Gordian Knot, the playful rhythmic post-rock that evokes a band like toe, or the fuzzed-out punctuation that tell a prog tale as ’70s King Crimson would, 夢遊病者, also known as Sleepwalker, makes their love of sound as clear as their love of РЛБ30011922’s inspiration. In a setting this free and detailed, not a single moment of this one-long-song opus passes by without taking a moment to focus on a given performer’s escalation in the drama of the movement. Wielding short guitar solos as segues into popping double-kick trots, spoken word exposition as pedal switch-up opportunities, all leading to a crescendo of bent and bluesy expression, 夢遊病者 succeeds in more than just holding an audience captive with their jammy and heartfelt statement. РЛБ30011922, like the shorter form releases that have graced these halls before, will have you coming back time and time again to explore its sentiments, which feel both traced from a dream yet rooted in rich, earthly tone pleasures.

Saunders’ Slinky Sneaks

Enragement // Extinguish All Existence [October 31st, 2025 – Transcending Obscurity]

The back end of 2025 has thrown down some delightfully vicious, chunkified, and straightforward death metal gems, courtesy of the likes of Depravity, Glorious Depravity and Terror Corpse. Not to be discounted, Finland’s Enragement dropped their own intense slab of brutal death on fourth LP, Extinguish All Existence. Cutting with any pleasantries, Enragement get down to business, slamming through a tight, burly collection of Americanized death, keenly treading a balance between thuggish beatdowns, chest-busting blasts, slammy, pig-squealing grooves, and more traditional, though deceptively diverse brutal death fare. Despite the certifiably crushing formula deployed, there is an air of accessibility, perhaps attributed to the clean but suitably beefy production job, bludgeoning, addictive grooves and sinister currents of atmospheric melody flowing through the album’s riff-centric veins. Thrashy, straightforward bursts of fury are tempered by more technical flourishes and an impressively versatile vocal assault. The likes of Devourment, Deeds of Flesh, Dawn of Demise and Benighted are perhaps fitting reference points, however, Enragement blast their own path of uncompromisingly heavy destruction.

Stephen Brodsky // Cut to the Core Vol. 1 [October 3rd, 2025 – Pax Aeturnum]

There are a couple of ways to broach this latest solo endeavor from lovable rogue and Cave In/Mutoid Man mastermind Stephen Brodsky. Brodsky delivers refreshed interpretations of various ’90s hardcore songs, reimagined in acoustic form. Those familiar with the original compositions will likely have fun dissecting and comparing the original anthems. While others, such as myself, largely unfamiliar with the originals, can enjoy these polished takes in their reimagined form, without comparison. Over the years, I have developed a strong connection with Brodsky’s works and come to appreciate his softer, acoustic flavorings. The likes of Snapcase, Converge, Texas is the Reason, Threadbare and By the Grace of God are some of the acts covered with typical style, zest, and emotion. Brodsky’s expressive and emotive delivery showcases both a loving appreciation of the material and deeper emotional connection that bleeds through the often darker, melancholic vibes of the acoustic constructions. The collection is remarkably consistent and infectious, highlighted by Brodsky’s crisp and soulful acoustic playing and distinctive singing voice on standout cuts, including “Windows” (Snapcase), “Benchwarmer” (Lincoln), “Fissures” (By the Grace of God), “Farewell Note to This City” (Converge), and “Voice” (Sense Field).

Soul Blind // Red Sky Mourning [October 10th, 2025 – Closed Casket Activities]

Riding a familiar wave of early ’00s alt-rock/metal and ’90s grungy nostalgia, New York’s Soul Blind emerge with sophomore LP, Red Sky Mourning. Although they tread dangerously close to overt derivation of prominent influences, including Alice in Chains, Deftones, and Helmet, Soul Blind manage to just stay afloat on their own terms. The dreamy melodies, chunky alt metal riffs, and soaring, Cantrell-esque vocal melodies cultivate some earwormy hooks and fuzzy, 90s/’00s feels. Soul Blind possess a knack for writing textured, mildly sludgy, infectious rock ditties, dabbling in shoegazing atmospherics, and sturdier alt metal territories along the way. Soul Blind relish in AIC inspired earworms (“Dyno,” “Hide Your Evil”), grittier, more aggressive alt metal fare (‘Billy,’ “New York Smoke”) and airy, indie pop-rock (“Thru the Haze”). Soul Blind have work to do to stand out from their influences and develop a more unique sound and robust character. However, the signs are positive for better things to come. Red Sky Mourning is a solid throwback album and handy companion piece to the equally nostalgia-inspired album from Bleed earlier in the year.

#2025 #Acoustic #Adrift #Aggravate #AliceInChains #AmericanMetal #AncientMonumentsAndModernSadness #Ancst #Anthrax #AsTheWorldTreeFell #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackCrossHotel #BlackMetal #Bleed #Bloodgutter #ByTheGraceOfGod #CanadianMetal #CanvasOfSilence #CattleDecapitation #CaveIn #ClosedCasketActivities #Converge #Crust #CutToTheCoreVol1 #DeathMetal #Deftones #Depravity #DiamondHead #DormantOrdeal #EdgewoodArsenalRecords #Enragement #ExtinguishAllExistence #FellOmen #Fellowship #FiadhProductions #FinnishMetal #FuneralDoom #FysiskFormatRecords #GalgerOgBrann #GloriousDepravity #GordianKnot #GrooveMetal #Grunge #HardRock #Hardcore #Havok #HeavyMetal #Helmet #HorrorPainGoreDeathProductions #IndependentRelease #IndustrialMetal #InternationalMetal #IronMaiden #JapaneseMetal #KillingJoke #KingCrimson #Lincoln #MadderMortem #MeAndThatMan #MelodicBlackMetal #Miasmata #Ministry #MutoidMan #MyDyingBride #NapalmDeath #NaturmachtProductions #NewZealandMetal #Nightwish #NorwegianMetal #Oct25 #Oromet #Ossuary #PaxAeternum #PigDestroyer #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveRock #RedSkyMourning #RepulsiveSummoning #Review #Reviews #RockshotsRecords #Rotpit #Sanguisugabogg #ScorchingTomb #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #SenseField #Skitsystem #Snapcase #SomeoddpilotReocrds #SongsForSwitches #SoulBlind #Soulfly #Starer #StephenBrodsky #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #Subterrania #Sutratma #SymphonicMetal #TerrorCorpse #Testament #TexasIsTheReason #TheDarkElement #Theocracy #Threadbare #TimeToKillRecords #toe #Tragedy #TranscendingObsurityRecords #Uaar #ViolentTestimony #Vomitory #Windir #Xaoc #РЛБ30011922 #夢遊病者

Beastwars – The Ship // The Sea Review

By Saunders

Kiwi stalwarts specializing in thick, atmospheric sludge-doom goodness, Beastwars boast a strong track record, remaining a dependable force within their field. Sharing loose stylistic similarities with acts such as early Leviathan-era Mastodon, High on Fire, Crowbar, and Boss Keloid, Beastwars continue blazing their own battered trail. Displaying resilience and determination to navigate various personal and career challenges, Beastwars march onwards with sixth album, The Ship // The Sea. Despite being a fan of their past work, especially Blood Becomes Fire and The Death of All Things, I missed their 2023 covers album, Tyranny of Distance, and on reflection, I was surprised I had awarded their 2019 album IV with a coveted 4.0 rating, as I haven’t revisited it often when a Beastwars fix has spiked. Nevertheless, Beastwars is never less than solid, often operating a rung or two above that level across a consistently engaging, if underappreciated career. Now over half a decade removed from their last LP of original material, can these Wellington heavyweights muster something special?

The striking cover art, a beautifully rendered oil painting from artist Nick Keller, illustrates the stormy, heaving turbulence pulsing through the belly of this mighty beast. The Ship // The Sea packs the raw, burly punch and requisite emotional power to simultaneously wrench hearts and bang heads. “We Don’t Say Fear” warmly welcomes listeners back into the comforting grip of the Beastwars experience. Its signature stomp of infectious, hard-rocking, and oh so chunky sludge-doom finds the four-piece in fine form. Beastwars deliver top-notch performances and heart-on-sleeve passion through a decidedly dark, melancholy collection, reflective of personal hardships and current global concerns inspiring the album’s conception and lyrical themes. Beastwars pack power and emotion into concise timeframes, stripping back to their heavy, more straightforward roots without abandoning their sense of progressive adventure.

Amidst bleaker tones, shuffling between the raw, gloomy misery of the ominous, soul-jabbing doom of standout cuts, “Guardian of Fire” and “Rust,” to slightly more uplifting closer “Light Leads the Way,” Beastwars also bring the rocking, sludgy thunder to the equation. More urgent, traditionally infectious songs create welcome structural and pacing variety on such hooky delights as “Levitate,” bustling, psych-stoner surge of “The Storm,” and heady, aggressive throes of “Blood Will Flow.” Listeners from the band’s early days will no doubt enjoy the album’s raw, swaggering edge, amped aggression and immense heaviness. Although The Ship // The Sea boasts many standout songs and a satisfyingly deep, resonant emotional punch, not everything comes together smoothly. While never exactly losing steam, the second half of the album experiences some pacing issues and lulls, not quite matching the hookier rockers and doom-laden highlights of the front-loaded first half. That is not to say the album’s second half is lacking in potency, attested by the bruising grooves and hypnotic flow of “The Howling,” and grinding riffs, catchy groove, and anguished howls on the slow-burning intensity of “You Know They’re Burning the Land.”

Thick doomy rhythms and beefy down-tuned grooves are laid down by the imposing rhythm section of James Woods (bass) and Nathan Hickey (drums), while guitarist Christian Pearce unleashes proggy flourishes and gloomy melodies through a dense filter of sludgy riffcraft, tasty stoner grooves, and punishing, morose doom. Meanwhile, Matt Hyde’s distinctive, gruff roars and anguished bellows remain a key focal point and feature of the Beastwars formula. From overcoming a serious health battle and dealing with life’s inevitable tough times and obstacles, Hyde also uses troubled world events as fuel for an intensely emotive, standout performance. The passion and intensity behind Hyde’s vocals and raw, unvarnished sonic makeup lend the album its gritty, thumping edge.

Recorded in a studio by the ocean, Beastwars fully embrace the album’s spiritual and symbolic themes and connections to the ocean’s unpredictable, turbulent, and unforgiving nature. The production lends the songs a rough, organic crunch and weightiness, perfectly syncing to the band’s tough and gritty delivery, muscular rhythms, and piledriving riffing of the sludge, doom, and stoner varieties. Beastwars consistently write quality songs that fit snuggly in the sludge and doom domains, featuring rich depth, compositional subtletie,s and bleeding heart emotion. While perhaps not the band’s most consistent or instantly hooky album, The Ship // The Sea is a grower that packs a hefty wallop, largely maintaining Beastwars stellar track record of pumping out high octane, harrowing, and sonically booming tunes.

Score: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7| Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Destroy Records
Websites: beastwars.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/beastwars666
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Beastwars #BossKeloid #DestroyRecords #DoomMetal #HeavyRock #Mastodon #NewZealandMetal #Review #Reviews #Sludge #TheShipTheSea

Shepherds of Cassini – In Thrall to Heresy Review

By sentynel

Long, long ago, around when I first joined the staff here, Shepherds of Cassini released Helios Forsaken. I didn’t discover it in time to actually write anything about it, but it quickly became one of my favorite records. Prog is still my greatest musical love. I’ve been burnt out on prog metal of late—or perhaps it all just sucks. But I still often return to Helios Forsaken. I always felt a little guilty about not having been able to bring more attention to a band that deserved to be a lot bigger. Never mind, I told myself. I’ll cover the next album! Ten years later, during which I had entirely given up hope, here we are. Ten years of anticipation and my complicated feelings about modern prog make reviewing In Thrall to Heresy a slightly intimidating prospect.

I needn’t have stressed: In Thrall is excellent. I don’t know that this necessarily heralds the return of prog for me. It very much picks up where Helios Forsaken left off. But frankly, that’s a breath of fresh air where a lot of bands I love(d) have toned down the heaviness and turned up the poppiness in a way that’s left them feeling a bit insubstantial. In Thrall sounds chunky and substantial. It sits in a middle ground that’s not afraid to play with everything between catchy melody and crushing riffs and harsh vocals. There’s plenty of prog noodling here, but there’s a weight to their instruments that makes them a joy to listen to. Melody and noodling duties are shared between Brendan Zwaan’s guitar and Felix Lun’s violin. Ne Obliviscaris do the violin prog thing in a very flashy way that makes them A Violin Band; Shepherds’ violin instead adds texture to their instrumentation without coming across as wanky (“Slough,” “Abyss”). Their rhythm section (Omar Al-Hashimi and Vitesh Bava, drums and bass respectively) is meaty without the atonality of djent (“Usurper” intro, “Abyss”) and does some stellar work on build-up sections (“Vestibule,” “Abyss” again). Everything sounds great.

Of course, making your instruments sound great doesn’t buy much without great music to play, and here In Thrall also delivers. Indeed, there’s noticeable growth since Helios Forsaken, and it’s easy to forget the band are unsigned. The melodic writing is excellent, both on the vocals (“Slough,” “Usurper”) and the interplay between the lead violin and guitar (“Red Veil,” “Usurper” again). As with any good prog, the songs are complex and multi-faceted, and the transitions are always elegant. This album is very heavy on atmospheric semi-interlude tracks (“Vestibule” and “Mutineers,” both somewhere between an interlude and a real song). These work well and even deliver some album highlights (the violin lead on outro “Threnody” is genuinely beautiful), but then I loved Hierophant Violent. “Abyss” is a straight-up post-metal track, with a long slow build-up and crushingly heavy finale.

There are some stylistic choices that might be a matter of taste. Brendan Zwaan’s clean vocals are quite high in the mix and occasionally a little rough and ready, in a way that reminds me a bit of the Ben Levin Group. (His harsh vocals, e.g. on “Red Veil,” I like a lot.) And there’s a lot of use of heavy processing effects—wah and phaser pedals on guitars, echoey drums, vocoder filters on vocals (“Abyss” has a section which is very reminiscent of Affinity-era Haken). This reads as quite retro, perhaps a slight contradiction for progressive music, but welcome given my issues with modern prog metal. The production, though, is excellent, giving solidity to all of those wonderful instrument tones. The band sound polished and assured.

Reviewing bands you have Feelings about without second-guessing yourself is always hard. Shepherds of Cassini have saved my angst by producing a record I have no reservations about recommending. In Thrall to Heresy has done nothing but grow on me since I first heard it. The ten-year wait has brought additional maturity to the writing—and social relevance to the lyrics1—but kept the sound I loved so much on the previous album. If you’re at all interested in prog and post-metal, but particularly if you find yourself hankering after a heavier, more interesting-sounding prog metal that the genre seems to have forgotten, this is for you.

Rating: Excellent
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Self-released
Websites: shepherdsofcassini.bandcamp.com | shepherdsofcassini.com | facebook.com/shepherdsofcassiniband
Releases Worldwide: February 21st, 2025

#2025 #45 #BenLevinGroup #Feb25 #Forlesen #Haken #InThrallToHeresy #NeObliviscaris #NewZealandMetal #PostMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #ShepherdsOfCassini

Stuck in the Filter: October 2024’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

Never fear, the blog’s penchant for deep lateness punctuality persists! It is likely the new year already by the time you see this post, but we’re taking a step back. Way back, into October. I was deep in the shit then, and therefore couldn’t do anything blog-related. And yet, my minions, those very laborers for whom I provide absolutely no compensation whatsoever, toiled dutifully in the metallic dinge that is our Filter. Unforgiving though those environs undoubtedly are, they scraped and scoured until, at long last, small shards of precious ore glimmered to the surface.

These glimmers are the same which you witness before you. Some are big, some are small. Some are short, some are tall. But all are worthy. Behold!

Kenstrosity’s Belated Bombardments

Cosmic Putrefaction // Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains [October 4th, 2024 – Profound Lore Records]

I was originally slated to take over reviewing duties for Cosmic Putrefaction this year, as Thus Spoke had a prior commitment and needed a buddy to step in. Unfortunately, I was rendered useless by a force of nature for a while, so I had to let go of several items of interest. But I couldn’t let 2024 go by without saying something! Entitled Emeral Fires atop the Farewell Mountains, Cosmic Putrefaction’s fourth represents one of the smoothest, most ethereal interpretations of weird, dissonant death metal. The classic Cosmic Putrefaction riffsets under an auroric sky remain, as evidenced by ripping examples “[Entering the Vortex Temporum] – Pre-mortem Phosphenes” and “Swirling Madness, Supernal Ordeal,” but there lurks within a monstrous technical death metal creature who rabidly chases the atmospheric spirits of olde (“I Should Great the Inexorable Darkness,” “Eudaemonist Withdrawal”). While in lesser hands these distinct aesthetics would undoubtedly clash on a dissonant platform such as this, Cosmic Putrefaction’s particular application of sound and style coalesces in devastating beauty and relentless purpose (“Hallways Engraved in Aether,” “Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains”). Were it not for some instances wherein, for the first time ever, Cosmic Putrefaction threatens to self-plagiarize their own material (“Eudaemonist Withdrawal”), I would likely consider Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains for year-end list status.

Feral // To Usurp the Thrones [October 18th, 2024 – Transcending Obscurity Records]

Another one of my charges that I unfortunately had to put down against my will, Swedish death metal fiends Feral’s fourth salvo To Usurp the Thrones deserves a spotlight here. Where Flesh for Funerals Eternal impressed me as my introduction to the band and, arguably, my introduction to modern buzzsaw Swedeath, To Usurp the Thrones impresses me as a singularly vicious record in the style. Faster, meaner, more varied, and longer than its predecessor, Thrones offers the punk-tinged, thrashy death riffs you know and love, with bluesy touches reminiscent of Entombed’s Wolverine Blues adding a bit of drunken swagger to the affair (“Vile Malediction,” “Phantoms of Iniquity,” “Into the Ashes of History”). Absolute rippers like “To Drain the World of Light,” “Deformed Mentality,” “Decimated,” and “Soaked in Blood” live up to the band’s moniker, rabid and relentless in their assault. In many ways, Thrones evokes the same bloodsoaked sense of fun that Helslave’s From the Sulphur Depths conjured, but it’s angrier, more unhinged (“Spirits Without Rest,” “Stripped of Flesh”). Consequently, Thrones stands out as one of the more fun records of its ilk to come out this year. Don’t miss it!

Sun Worship // Upon the Hills of Divination [October 31st, 2024 – Vendetta Records]

Back in 2020, our dear Roquentin offered some damn fine words of praise for Germany’s Sun Worship and their third blackened blade, Emanations of Desolation. It’s been six years since that record dropped, and Upon the Hills of Divination picks up right where Emanations left off. That is to say, absolutely slimy, post-metal-tinged riffs bolstered by dense layers of warm tremolos and mid-frequency roars. Opener “Within the Machine” offers a concrete encapsulation of what to expect: bits and pieces of Hulder, Gaerea, and Vorga melding together into a compelling concoction of hypnotic black metal. Using the long form to their utmost advantage, Sun Worship craft immersive soundscapes liable to scald the flesh just as quickly as they seduce the senses, leaving me as a brainwashed minion doing a twisted mystic’s bidding unconditionally (“Serpent Nebula,” “Covenant”). Yet, there roils a sense of urgency in these songs, despite many of them occupying a mid-paced cadence, which unveils a bleeding heart willingly wrenched from Sun Worship’s body (“Fractal Entity,” the title track, and “Stormbringer”). This is what sets it apart from its contemporaries, and what makes it worthy of mention. Why it’s gotten so little attention escapes me. It is with the intent of rectifying that condition that I pen this woefully insufficient segment.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Duty Free Rifftrocity

Extorted // Cognitive Dissonance [October 16th, 2024 – Self Release]

You don’t need to read this review to know that the Kiwis of Extorted plays pit-whipping death/thrash. Though not adorned with other obvious symbols, like Vietnam War paraphernalia or crushed beer cans, the Ed Repka-penned brain-ripped head figure screams “no thoughts only riff” all the same. With snares set to pow and crashes set to kshhh, Cognitive Dissonance finds low resistance to accelerating early Death-indebted refrains. Vocalist Joel Clark even plays as a dead ringer for pre-Human Schuldiner or Van Drunen (Asphyx, ex-Pestilence) as the torture in many lines grows (on “Infected” and “Ghastly Creatures” in particular). And in a continued tour of Van Drunen-associated sounds, Extorted’s ability to find a push-and-pull cadence that twists the fury of thrash with the cutting drag of death hits that hard-to-nail early Pestilence pocket with studied flair (“Deception,” “Limits of Reality”). Though a considerable amount of the Extorted identity rests in ideas borrowed and reinterpreted, a modern tonal canvas gives Cognitive Dissonance’s rhythms a punchy and balanced low-end weight that doesn’t always present itself in the world of old. Couple that with hooks that reach far beyond the limits of pure homage (“Transformation of Dreams,” “Violence”), and it’s easy to plow through the thirty minutes of tasteful harmonies, bending solos, and spit-stained lamentations that Extorted offers with their powerful debut.

Bríi // Camaradagem Póstuma [October 11th, 2024 – Self Release]

With Camaradagem Póstuma we enter the hazy, folky world of Caio Lemos’ unique vision of what experimental electronic music can be colored by the underpinnings of atmospheric black metal and jazz fusion. Using terraced melodies like baroque music of old and distant breakbeats like the Bong-Ra of recent yesteryears, Brazil’s Bríi represents one man’s highly specific melding that rarely occurs in this space. The guitar lines that do exist play out as textural, slow-developing passages. On tracks “Aparecidos” and “Baile Fantasma” this looping and hypnotic pattern shuffle resembles ambient Pat Metheny or King Crimson colors, the kind where finding the end of nylon pluck into a weaving, high-frequency synth patch feels not impossible but unnecessary. And on the more metallic side of things, Lemos cranks programmed blasts that carry his tortured, panning, and shrouded wails as a guide for the melodic evolution of each track, much in the same way a warping bass line would in a progressive house track. But maintaining the tempo of classic drum and bass, Camaradagem Póstuma wisps away in its atmosphere, coming back to a driving rhythm either via pummeling double kick or glitching break. Despite the hard, danceable pulse that tracks “Enlutados” and “Entre Mundos” boast, Bríi does not feel built for the kvlt klvbs of this world, leaning on a gated, lo-fi aesthetic that makes for an ideal drift away on closed cans, much like the equally idiosyncratic Wist album from earlier this year. And similarly, Camaradagem Póstuma sits in an outsider world of enjoyment. But if any of this sounds like your jam, prepare to get addicted to Bríi.

Thus Spoke’s Rotten Remnants

Livløs // The Crescent King [October 4th, 2024 – Noctum Productions]

Livløs are one of those bands that deserves far more recognition than they receive. With LP three, The Crescent King, they might finally see it. Their punchy intriguing infusion of Swedish and US melodic death metal—though the band themselves hail from Denmark—has a pleasing melancholia and satisfying bite. Here in particular, there’s more than a passing resemblance to Hath, to Cognizance, and to In Mourning. Stomping grooves (“Maelstrom,” “Usurpers”) slide in between blitzes of tripping gallops, and electrifying fretwork (“Orbit Weaver,” “Scourge of the Stars”). Mournful, compelling melodies woven into this technical tapestry—some highlights being the title track, “Harvest,” and “Endless Majesty”—turn already good melodeath into great melodeath; melodeath that’s majestic and powerful, without ever feeling overblown. With its relentless, groovy dynamism, the crisp, spacious production seals the deal for total immersion. If this is your first time hearing about Livløs, you’re in for a treat.

Sordide // Ainsi finit le jour [October 25th, 2024 – Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions]

And So Ends the Day, whilst another begins where I rediscover Sordide. I know not how I forgot their existence despite the impression that 2021’s Les Idées Blanches made upon me, yet all I could recall was the disturbingly simple, melty art.1 Ainsi Finit le Jour arrives with a hefty dose (53 minutes no less) of punky, dissonant black metal that’s even rawer and more pissed-off than their usual fare. “Des feux plus forts,” “La poesie du caniveau,” and the title track stand out as the most vicious, near-first-wave cuts the trio have ever laid down, with manic, group wails, and chaotic, jangling percussion. But as is so often the case with Sordide, perhaps the truest brutality comes in the slower discordant crawls of “Sous Vivre,” “Tout est a la mort,” and the particularly unsettling “La beauté du desastre,” whose creeping, half-tuneful teasing and turns to eerie spaciousness get right under your skin. It is arguably a little too long for its own good, given its intensity, but its impressiveness does mean that, this time, Sordide won’t be forgotten.

Dear Hollow’s Droll Hashals

Annihilist // Reform [October 18th, 2024 – Self Release]

What Melbourne’s Annihilist does with flamboyant flare and reckless abandon is blur the lines of its core stylistic choices. One moment it’s chugging away like a deathcore band, the next it’s dripping away with a groove metal swagger, ope, now it’s on its way to Hot Topic. All we know is that all its members attack with a chameleonic intensity and otherworldly technicality that’s hard to pin down. An insane level of technicality is the thread that courses throughout the entirety of this debut, recalling Within the Ruins or The Human Abstract in its stuttering rhythms and flailing arpeggios. From catchy leads and punishing rhythms (“The Upsend,” “Guillotine”), bouncy breakdowns, clean choruses, and wild gang vocals (“Blood”), djenty guitar seizures (“Virus,” “Better Off”) to full-on groove (“N.M.E.,” “The Host”), the likes of Lamb of God, early Architects, Born of Osiris, and Children of Bodom are conjured. Lyrics of hardcore punk’s signature anarchy and societal distrust collide with an instrumental palette of melodeath and the more technical kin of metalcore and deathcore, groove metal, and hardcore. As such, the album is complicated, episodic, and unpredictable, with only its wild technicality connecting its fragmented bits – keeping Reform from achieving the greatness that the band is so capable of. As it stands, though, Annihilist offers an insanely fun, everchanging, and unhinged roller coaster of -core proportions – a roller -corester, if you will.

Under Alekhines Gun

Theurgy // Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence [October 17th, 2024 – New Standard Elite]

In a year where slam and brutal death have already had an atypically high-quality output, international outfit Theurgy have come with an RKO out of nowhere to shatter whatever remains of your cerebral cortex. Channeling the flamboyancy of old Analepsy with the snare abuse and neanderthalic glee of Epicardiectomy, Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence wastes no time severing vertebrae and reducing eardrums to paste. Don’t mistake this for a brainless, caveman assault, however. Peppered between the hammiest of hammers are tech flourishes pulled straight from Dingir era Rings of Saturn, adding an unexpected technical edge to the blunt force trauma. The production manages to pair these two disparaging elements with lethal efficiency. Is it the techiest slam album, or the wettest, greasiest tech album? Did I mention there’s a super moldy cover of Devourment‘s “Molesting the Decapitated”? It slots right into the albums flow without feeling like a tacked-on bonus track, highlighting Theurgy’s commitment to the homicidal odes of brutality. Throw in a vocal performance that makes Angel Ochoa (Abominable Putridity) sound like Anders Fridén (In Flames), and you’re left with one last lethal assault to round out the year. Dive in and give your luminescence something to cry about.

GardensTale’s Great Glacier

Ghosts of Glaciers // Eternal [October 25th, 2024 – Translation Loss Records]

Ghosts of Glaciers’s last release, The Greatest Burden, was a masterclass of post-metal flow and has become a mainstay in my instrumental metal collection since my review in 2019. Dropping in tandem with several other high-profile releases, though, I could not give its follow-up the kind of attention it deserves. And make no mistake, it absolutely deserves that attention. The opening duo, “The Vast Expanse” and “Sunken Chamber,” measure up fully to The Greatest Burden, though it takes a few spins for that to become clear. Both use repetitive patterns more than before, but closer listens reveal how subtle variations and evolution of each cycle build gradual tension, so the release becomes all the more satisfying. I’m a little more ambivalent on the back half of Eternal, though. “Leviathan” packs a bigger punch than more of the band’s material, it lacks the swirling and sweeping currents that pull me under and demand full and uninterrupted plays every time. Closer “Regeneratio Aeterna” is a pretty but rather demure piece that lasts a bit longer than it should have. But despite these reservations, the great material outstrips the merely good, and Eternal is a worthwhile addition to any instrumental metal collection.

#AbominablePutridity #AinsiFinitLeJour #AmericanMetal #Analepsy #Annihilist #Architects #Asphyx #AtmosphericBlackMetal #AustralianMetal #BlackMetal #BongRa #BornOfOsiris #BrazilianMetal #Bríi #BrutalDeathMetal #CamaradagemPóstuma #ChildrenOfBodom #CognitiveDissonance #Cognizance #CosmicPutrefaction #Death #DeathMetal #DeathThrash #Deathcore #Devourment #DissonantBlackMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #Electronic #EmanationsOfUnconsciousLuminescence #EmeralFiresAtopTheFarewellMountains #Entombed #Epicardiectomy #Eternal #ExperimentalMetal #Extorted #Feral #FrenchMetal #Gaerea #GermanMetal #GhostsOfGlaciers #GrooveMetal #Hardcore #HardcorePunk #Hath #Helslave #Hulder #InFlames #InMourning #InternationalMetal #ItalianMetal #KingCrimson #LambOfGod #LesActeursDeLOmbreProductions #Livløs #MelodicDeathMetal #Metalcore #NewStandardElite #NewZealandMetal #NoctumProductions #OSDM #PatMetheny #Pestilence #PostBlackMetal #PostMetal #ProfoundLoreRecords #Reform #RingsOfSaturn #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #Slam #Sordide #SunWorship #SwedishMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheCrescentKing #TheHumanAbstract #Theurgy #ThrashMetal #ToUsurpTheThrones #TranscendingObscurityRecords #TranslationLossRecords #UponTheHillsOfDivination #VendettaRecords #VertebraAtlantis #Vorga #Wist #WithinTheRuins

Stuck in the Filter: August and September 2024

By Kenstrosity

I am a stubborn bitch. I work my underlings hard, and I won’t let up until they dig up shiny goodies for me to share with the general public. Share might be a generous term. Foist upon is probably more accurate…

In any case, despite some pretty intense setbacks on my end, I still managed to collect enough material for a two-month spread. HUZZAH! REJOICE! Now get the hell away from me and listen to some of our very cool and good tunes.

Kenstrosity’s Turgid Truncheons

Tenue // Arcos, bóvedas, pórticos [August 1st, 2024 – Self-Release]

Spanish post-black/crust/screamo quartet Tenue earned my favor with their debut record, Anábasis, back in 2018. Equal parts vicious, introspective, and strangely uplifting, that record changed what I thought I could expect from anything bearing the screamo tag. By integrating ascendant black metal tremolos within post-punk structures and crusty attitude, Tenue established a sound that not only opened horizons for me taste-wise but also brought me a great deal of emotional catharsis on its own merit. Follow-up Arcos, bóvedas, pórticos deepens that relationship. Utilizing a wider atmospheric palette (“Distracción”), a shift towards epic song lengths (“Inquietude, and a greater variety of instrumentation (observe the beautiful horns on long-form opener “Inquietude”), and a bluesier swagger than previous material exhibited (“Letargo”), Tenue’s second salvo showcases a musical versatility I wasn’t expecting to complement the bleeding-heart emotional depth I knew would return. This expansion of scale and skillset sets the record apart from almost anything else I’ve heard this year. Even though one or two moments struggle to stick long-term (“Enfoque”), Arcos, bóvedas, pórticos represents an affecting, creative, and ridiculously engaging addition to my listening schedule. And for the low low price of NYP, it ought to be a part of yours as well.

Open Flesh Wound // Vile Putrefaction [August 28th, 2024 – Inherited Suffering Records]

Thicc, muggy slam with a million pick scrapes. Who could ask for anything more? Not I, and so it is with great pleasure that I introduce to my AMG fam Pennsylvania’s very own Open Flesh Wound and their debut LP Vile Putrefaction. Essentially the result of Analepsy’s and Devourment‘s carnal lovemaking, Vile Putrefaction is a nasty, slammy, brutal expulsion of chunky upchuck. Only those with the most caved-in craniums will appreciate the scraping swamp-ass riffs showcased on such slammers as “Smashed in Liquids” and “Cinder Block to the Forehead,” or the groove-laden thuggery of death-focused tracks like the title track, “Fermented Intestinal Blockage” and “Body Baggie.” Vile Putrefaction’s molasses-like production is an absolute boon to this sound as well, with just enough gloss to provide a deliciously moist texture which imparts an unlikely clarity to especially gruesome details in “Stoma Necrosis” and “Skin Like Jelly.” It’s dumb as hell, and isn’t doing anything new, but is an overdose of good, dirty fun. Simple as.

The Flaying // Ni dieu, ni ma​î​tre [September 5th, 2024 – Self Release]

I’ve been singing Canadian melodic death metal quartet The Flaying’s praises for almost six years now. And still to this day not enough people choose to sing with me. Why? Because they wouldn’t know sickeningly fun death metal if it hacked their faces right off. That’s okay, because The Flaying do hack faces right off regardless, and it feels so good to watch the faces of those who don’t heed my call get hacked right off. Third onslaught Ni dieu, ni ma​î​tre proves that once again, The Flaying are an unstoppable force of bass wizardry, riff mastery, and hook-laden songwriting. Opener “Le nécrologiste” perfectly encapsulates The Flaying’s particularly addicting brew of Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, and De Profundis influences, shaken and stirred until the resulting cocktail blooms with a flavor all its own. Technical and brutally fast, follow-up track “L’enclave” continues the deadly rampage, featuring noodly bass lines guaranteed to elicit stank face in the even most prim and proper elite. A trim twenty nine minutes, spread over ten tightly trained tracks, Ni dieu, ni ma​î​tre boasts unbeatable replay value. Highlights “Ni dieu, ni ma​î​tre,” “Les Frondes” “La forge,” and “Noyau sombre” seal the deal by providing sharp hard points and memorable landmarks to which any listener would look forward. Simply put, this record rocks my socks and further proves that I am right about The Flaying, and those who ignore my recommendation are wrong.

Dolphin Whisperer’s All-Seeing Affirmations

Eye Eater // Alienate [August 1st, 2024 – Self Release]

In a post-Ulcerate world, the modern output of atmosphere-minded death metal has grown exponentially. With ringing dissonant chords and slow post-informed builds taking center stage, bands like New Zealand’s unheralded Eye Eater borrow plenty from the Destroyers of All sound. However, while many acts would be content to dial in the space or ramp up the dissonance to try and put their own twist on this growing post-death movement, Eye Eater looks to the laser-precise melodic tones of progressive, core-borrowing names like Fallujah and Vildhjarta to carve an identity into each of Alienate’s album eight sprawling tracks. Swinging sustained brightness in one hand about the grizzly chug-crush of the other, burly bangers like “Other Planets” and “Failure Artifacts” find churning, djentrified grooves that amplify the swell of the blaring melodies that swirl above the low-end clamor. And though the main refrains of “Alienate” and “Everything You Fear and Hope For” sound like loving odes to their Kiwi Forebears, the growth into sonorous and lush-chorded peaks lands much closer to the attraction of turn of the 10s progressive death/metalcore luminaries The Contortionist had they stayed closer to their heavy-toned, hefty-voiced roots. As an anonymous act with little social presence, it’s hard to say whether Eye Eater has more cooking for the future. With their ears tuned to the recent past for inspiration, it’s easy to see how a band with this kind of melodic immediacy—still wrapped in the weight of a brooding, death metal identity—could easily play for the tops of underground charts. To those who have been following the twists and turns of both underground and accessible over the past decade or so, Eye Eater may not sound entirely novel. But Alienate’s familiarity in presence against its quality of execution and fullness of sound makes it easy to ensnare all the same.

Dissolve // Polymorphic Ways of Unconsciousness [September 20th, 2024 – Self Release]

From the sand-blasted, monochrome human escaping the floor of Polymorphic Ways’ cover to the tags of technical, progressive, death that adorn the Bandcamp tags, it’s easy to put a band like Dissolve in a box, mentally. But with the first bent guitar run that sets off “Efficiency Defiled” in a run like Judas Priest more than Spawn of Possession, it’s clear that Dissolve plays by a different set of rules than your average chug and run tech death band. Yet true to their French nature, the riffs that litter Polymorphic Ways of Unconsciousness possess a tangible groove following the footsteps of lesser-known tricksters Trepalium and Olympic titans of metal Gojira (“The Great Pessimistic,”1 “Polymorphic Ways of Unconsciousness,” “Vultures”). And while too Dissolve finds a base in the low-end trem assault of Morbid Angel (“Ignorance Will Prevail”), there’s a thrash and bark energy at play that nets a rambunctious and experimental sound recalling the warped Hetfield-ian (Metallica) scrawl of Destroy Erase Improve Meshuggah, right down to the monstrous bass tone that defines Sonny Bellonie’s (Sanctuary, ODC) growling, extended range performance. As a trio it’d be easy for guitarist Briac Turquety (Smerter, ex-Sideburn) to rely on overdubs for saturation of sound and complexity of layers—and for solo cut-ins he definitely does—but equally as often his choice to let certain chords and notes escape a thrashy muting to ring in distorted harmony against snaking bass lines. And speaking of solos, Turquety’s prowess ranges from bluesy shred (“The Great Pessimistic,” “Ropes of Madness”) to noisy, jazzy explorations (“Polymorphic…,” “Shattered Minds of Evolution”) to Satriani on Slayer whammy abuse (“Bonfire of the Vanities”)—a true treat to lovers of tasteful shred. Turquety, Bellonie, and Quentin Feron (on drums, also of Smerter) sound as if they’ve been playing together for much longer than the year that Dissolve has existed. With a debut this polished, it’s anyone’s guess as to what kind of monster will emerge from the talent that appears so effortless in assembly.

Obsidian Mantra // As We All Will [September 27th, 2024 – Self Release]

Sometimes, a tangled and foreboding cover sits as the biggest draw amongst a crowd of death metal albums alight with splattered zombie remains, illegible logos, and alarm-colored palettes. And in the case of Obsidian Mantra, it doesn’t hurt that lead single “Cult of Depression” possesses a devastating, hypnotic groove that recalls the once captivating technical whiplash of an early Decapitated. However, rather than wrestle with tones that incite a pure and raw violence like that cornerstone act (or similar Poldeath that has followed in its legacy like Dormant Ordeal), Obsidian Mantra uses aggressive and bass-loaded rhythmic forms to erupt in spacious and glass-toned guitar chimes to create an engrossing neck-snapping (“Slave Without a Master,” “Condemned to Oppression”). Whether we call these downcast refrains a dissonant melody or slowly resolving phrase, they grow throughout each track in a manner that calls continual reinforcement from a rhythm section that can drop into hammering blasts at a dime and a vocal presence that oscillates between vicious snarl and reverberating howl. In its most accessible numbers (“Chaos Will Consume Us All,” “Weavers of Misery”), Obsidian Mantra finds an oppressive warmth that grows to border anthemic, much in the way like beloved blackened/progressive acts like Hath do with their biggest moments. As We All Will still never quite reaches that full mountainous peak, though, opting to pursue the continual call of the groove to keep the listener coming back. Having come a long way from the Meshuggah-centered roots where Obsidian Mantra first sowed their deathly seeds, As We All Will provides 30 minutes of modern, pulsating, and venomous kick-driven pieces that will flare easy motivation for either a brutalizing pit or a mightily-thrusted iron on leg day.

Thus Spoke’s Cursed Collection

Esoctrilihum // Döth-Derniàlh [September 20th, 2024 – I, Voidhanger Records]

We complete another orbit around the Sun, and Esoctrilihum completes another album; such are the inalterable laws governing each 365.25 Earth day period in our Solar System. Possessed by some mad, restless spirit, it seems they cannot be stopped. Ever the experimenter, sole member Asthâghul now picks up an acoustic guitar, a nickelharpa, and warms up his throat for more clean vocals to further bizarre-ify his avant-garde black metal. As we travel into the cosmos for Döth-Derniàlh, Esoctrilihumisms abound in the see-sawing strings and echoes of chanted singing and throaty snarls. The addition of more acoustic elements does bring some weird delicacy to moments here and there (“Zilthuryth (Void of Zeraphaël),” “Murzaithas (Celestial Voices)”), and it adds layers of beauty in addition to those already harmonious passages. it’s striking how well these new instruments blend with the overall sound: so well, in fact, that it almost feels like Esoctrilihum hasn’t evolved at all. This isn’t even a bad thing, because Döth-Derniàlh still feels like an improvement. Past albums have always had at least sections of perfection, where the scattered clouds of self-interfering chaos or repetition blow away and the brilliant light of the moon shines strongly. Döth-Derniàlh has more of these than ever, some extending to whole, 16-minute songs (“Dy’th Eternalhys (The Mortuary Renewal),”).2 If you have it in you to listen to one (more) album over an hour long, and you don’t already know you hate Esoctrilihum, sit down with a drink, and maybe a joint, and go where Döth-Derniàlh takes you.

#2024 #Alienate #AmericanMetal #ArcosBóvedasPórticos #AsWeAllWill #AtmosphericDeathMetal #Aug24 #AvantGarde #BlackMetal #BrutalDeathMetal #CanadianMetal #CannibalCorpse #DeProfundis #DeathMetal #Decapitated #Dissolve #DormantOrdeal #DöthDerniàlh #Esoctrilihum #EyeEater #Fallujah #FrenchMetal #Gojira #GrandMagus #GrendelSSÿster #Gygax #HarcorePunk #IVoidhangerRecords #InheritedSufferingRecords #JethroTull #JudasPriest #MelodicDeathMetal #Meshuggah #Metallica #MorbidAngel #NewZealandMetal #NiDieuNiMaîTre #ObsidianMantra #ODC #OpenFleshWound #PolishMetal #PolymorphicWaysOfUnconsciousness #PostDeathMetal #PostMetal #postPunk #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Punk #Sanctuary #Screamo #SelfRelease #Sep24 #Sideburn #Slam #Slayer #Smerter #SpanishMetal #SpawnOfPossession #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2024 #TechnicalDeathMetal #Tenue #TheBlackDahliaMurder #TheContortionist #TheFlaying #ThinLizzy #Trepalium #Vildhjarta #VilePutrefaction #WishboneAsh

Sidewinder – Talons Review

By GardensTale

Why is great stoner metal so rare? We see an ever ongoing cavalcade of stoner rising and falling like the desert dunes, but the vast majority is as inspiring and interchangeable as loose sand. What’s more, the bands that rise above mediocrity frequently make it seem the simplest thing in the world. If you pack enough groove, don’t skimp on the riffs, and use anything but a poor Ozzy imitation for vocals, you’re already miles ahead of the pack. Sidewinder is a fresh outfit from New Zealand coming up on their second album Talons, and to call them miles ahead of the pack is a gross understatement. Let’s get groovin’.

On the surface, Talons is not complex or sophisticated. It’s an album that speaks in images, evoked by using the right details at the right times, by setting up tropes and playing them to the hilt with a passion and a verve rarely seen in the genre. From the first seconds of opener “Guardians” I am transported to taverns in dusty backroad towns that smell like whiskey and cigars, or riding through a desert in the back of a pick-up truck as mountains pass all around and the sky eases from endless blue to brilliant night. Sidewinder’s riffs, drawing from Monster Magnet and Church of Misery with equal enthusiasm, are thick with the blues while grooving hard enough to give me permanent nasty-face syndrome. And they do not miss; every single track is packed with colossal strides on six strings, memorable and addictive and rattling my bones and heart and soul. When the band goes even lower and even slower on awe-inspiring highlight “The Depths” it’s breathtaking, all the way up to the exquisite mid-sentence transition into an outstanding buzz-filled solo.

And the guitars aren’t even the band’s secret weapon. New vocalist Jem Tupe may well be one of the strongest voices I’ve heard entering the scene in years. When she keeps it small, she has all the sultry appeal of a great blues artist, her voice perfectly balancing smoky allure with seductive phrasing. But at the drop of a hat she will metamorphosize into a fierce force of nature capable of splitting mountains and calling down the spirits of the ancestors. With a timbre equal parts Lizzy Hale (Halestorm) and Pat Benatar, she is able to perfectly match the varied moods across the album, from passion (“Guardians”) to defiance (“Disarm the King”) to the solemn reverence of “Northern Lights.”

The drawbacks are few and minor. Closer “Yggdrasil” isn’t quite as powerful or memorable as the preceding tracks, so the album doesn’t get to end as strong as it starts. Some of the tracks end a little abruptly. It won’t win mastering of the year either, though I was surprised at the DR score that came rolling out of the measuring tool, because a 4 usually means brickwalled to shit and exhausting on the ears. Instead, the only real effect is that the drums sound kinda flat and lack real impact. The guitars sound thick and tasty, though, frequently playing with tone in different ways, layering both low-end heaviness and stylish static fuzz. Tupe is right where she needs to be in the mix, and the bass adds depth and crunch underneath.

Sidewinder came out of nowhere. A sophomore album from some New Zealand unknowns was not in my cards for a list-threatening endeavor, but Talons completely blindsided me. There is so much swagger in these 8 tracks, so much groove and attitude. The riffs are unstoppable, the vocals even more so. And the band makes it all sound so simple, so natural, fitting together so well yet including enough surprises and inventions it doesn’t get old fast. There may be too few great stoner bands, but with the release of Talons, Sidewinder has become one of them.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Wyrmwood Records
Websites: sidewindernz.bandcamp.com | sidewinderband.nz | facebook.com/sidewinderbandNZ
Releases Worldwide: August 23rd, 2024

#2024 #40 #Aug24 #ChurchOfMisery #DoomMetal #Halestorm #MonsterMagnet #NewZealandMetal #OzzyOsbourne #PatBenatar #Review #Reviews #Sidewinder #StonerMetal #Talons #WyrmwoodRecords

Thousand Limbs – The Aurochs Review

By Dear Hollow

If any metal style has the right to be instrumental, it’s a three-way tie between djent, drone, and post-metal – and I’m guessing you’re cringing right now. While the former two are dragged across oft-unwilling ears in masturbatory guitar wizardry and booty-thick minimalist sprawls, respectively, post-metal has always felt a bit more exploratory and dynamic. Acts like Tempel and Russian Circles have crafted landscapes out of massive riffs and complex compositions, and New Zealand’s Thousand Limbs takes a similar approach with debut full-length The Aurochs. Big riffs and visceral chord progressions guide, and we are on this journey with them.

The Aurochs takes influence from the enigmatic Chinese Ten Ox-Herding Pictures, illustrations and parables from twelfth-century Zen master Kakuan Shion. Thousand Limbs’ individual ten tracks reflect each of the illustrations and their attached poetic verses respectively, through a sonic exploration of the achievement of awakening. While post-metal is clear in Isis-esque off-kilter rhythms, curious melodicisms, and lurching patterns alongside Russian Circles awe-inducing hugeness, other influences of YOB, Bongripper, and Earth also pervade. Orange haze, vintage distortion, and driving baritone riffs add a certain aggression and twist.

Beginning with “A Blessed Life to Suffer,” you’re graced with post-metal and doom’s most endearing quality: patience. Thousand Limbs is content letting its riffs grow and sprawl across its mammoth nearly hour-long runtime. Tracks like “Form,” “Fall of Body and Mind,” and closer “A Boundless Heart” exchange big sprawls, haunting leads, and fuzzy noodles seamlessly in painting enlightened pictures with broad yet gentle strokes, while the interludes “Only His Shadow,” “Evening Haze,” and “Beneath Soil and Stone” embrace the darker melodies that momentarily cut through the murk. Centerpieces “The Aurochs” and “The Aurochs – Aligned” are the best tracks here, exemplifying a two-part exploration of “Seizing the Ox” and “Taming the Ox.” First half “The Aurochs” is vicious and driving, complete with dissonant dueling arpeggios, while the second’s “Aligned” interpretation is more sunny and optimistic stoner-heavy bass-forward intertwined rhythms feel like some achievement of peace. Thousand Limbs’ careful control of its songwriting and motifs is consistently illustrated throughout, transitions between dissonance, darker minor moods, sunny melody, and brighter major chords remarkably smooth.

The fusion of post-metal and vintage doom is an intriguing premise, but Thousand Limbs suffers from its murk. Stoner doom in particular is aligned in minimalist compositions, and while guitars attempt to intertwine and compensate for The Aurochs’ voiceless trudge, it takes multiple listens to discern between the layers – especially when they exist in the same register. All the layered riffs and leads that guide “A Dim Light to Guide,” “Form,” and “A Boundless Heart” all swirl with no particular conclusion, only letting random bouts of squealing feedback cut through the bog. In this way, the careful and precise nature of post-metal is incompatible with the fuzzy wrecking ball of stoner doom, and Thousand Limbs shoots itself in the foot with its stoner doom swampy mix. Even beyond it, while the album structure favors their placement as album climax, “The Aurochs” and “The Aurochs – Aligned” are the undisputed best tracks here, putting all others in their shadow.

To their credit, Thousand Limbs has created a post-metal album that is evocative, smartly composed, and achieving a clear purpose. The problem is that The Aurochs makes no case convincing stoner doom and post-metal naysayers that it’s the best thing since Isis or Bongripper. Unless you’re prepared to analyze the hell out of it for damn near an hour, fighting uphill against a production value of dominating fuzz and denied vocals, The Aurochs is a chore. Thousand Limbs carries on the tried-and-true tradition of instrumental post-metal in a unique fusion that embraces the hallmarks of classic doom and stoner sensibilities in a tangible and realized theme. But like the walk towards enlightenment, you’ve got to struggle for it.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: thousandlimbs.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/thousandlimbsnz
Releases Worldwide: July 19th, 2024

#25 #2024 #Bongripper #DoomMetal #Earth #Jul24 #NewZealandMetal #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #RussianCircles #SelfRelease #StonerDoomMetal #Tempel #TheAurochs #ThousandLimbs #YOB

Ulcerate – Cutting the Throat of God Review

By Thus Spoke

“The holiest and the mightiest that the world has hitherto possessed, has bled to death under our knife,” cries the madman.1 And somewhere, the thought that “without God, everything is permitted,”2 becomes a slogan of apathy, a justification, or a cause for lament; if indeed, it is thought at all. However literally taken, the notion of morality’s divine origin is one that has loomed over Western philosophical tradition for centuries, whether as a guide or antithesis. In this light, it is clear that Cutting the Throat of God is no edgy, anti-religious statement. By titling their seventh full-length as they have, Ulcerate reach into the murky realms of human values, agency, responsibility, and the burden of choice, of freedom, of being. Never a stranger to the philosophical, the band have come also to pair their uncompromisingly intense dissonant death metal more and more with a melodicism that heightens, rather than eases, the music’s winding tension, and an atmosphere that never compromises brutality. It’s a sound that perfectly complements the solemn and unwavering gaze at the horrors of Being-in-the-world, and it’s a sound that one finds nowhere else but with Ulcerate.

Cutting the Throat of God does everything Stare Into Death and Be Still did, but better, and many more things besides. What that predecessor mused, this work lives, developing introspective, immersive progressiveness into a living, breathing consciousness you irresistibly follow. An aching pathos emanates from the more overtly mournful themes that span these pieces (“Further Opening the Wounds,” “To See Death Just Once”), while, at its blunter edge, refrains fade in and out dreamily in a way that belies their ability to compel. The riff that opens the album on “To Flow Through Ashen Hearts” already feels iconic, in an insidiously understated way. The premonitions of catharsis hinted at through resonant ebbs of guitar pull the thread of apprehension through fleeing peaks and flutters, and only when it reaches an unbearable tautness does it snap, and spark into flame, as tremolo burns a bright path downwards in a blaze of abreaction (“Transfiguration in and Out of Worlds,” “Undying as an Apparition,” title track). The album is just as, if not more, hazily atmospheric, mysterious, and fathomless, as the prior work, but it contains that blazing, stomach-clenching urgency that Stare Into Death fell short on; that spirit of catastrophe from The Destroyers of All; that malice and resolution from Shrines of Paralysis. All melds together under the unifying shapeless form of Cutting the Throat of God’s mesmerising trajectory.

I hardly have to even say, but I will. The percussion, which is more body than skeleton on this beast, is phenomenal. Drums are already the basis and pattern of a song’s trajectory, but with Ulcerate, Jamie Saint-Merat’s fluid, meticulous work drives every breath-catching pause, every rising apex, every stillness, every charge. Intertwining with refrains through rippling fills, with fading, crescendoing pulses of guitar that flood the undulating darkness with wailing light (“The Dawn is Hollow,” “Transfiguration…” “Undying…”) the resonant warmth of a dissonant bass hum and the roaring inexorability of Paul Kelland’s commanding vocals. It’s all one, bound up by percussive waves of stutter, circle, and sway. Like a tide, the lulls only drag you deeper, as whispers of cymbal accent an ambient undertow that precipitates a surge forward into devastation. A tremolo taking up the mantle (“To Flow…,” “Transfiguration…”), a catch in the tempo as low and high strings (“To See Death…,” “Undying…”), or the shuddering impact of cymbal (“Further Opening the Wounds”) converge out-of-sync to ring and drawl from every direction, and an almost-resolution, before it all ends, without release, only to begin again.

Like any good piece of art, Cutting the Throat of God stays with you beyond its literal scope. Long after its final notes play out I find myself unconsciously looking back, my mind magnetically pulled to it, like some kind of strange nostalgia. But more than that, it’s music with so many layers, that no matter how many times I listen to it, I find something new, and sometimes all I want to do is lie back and be immersed, just one more time. I am a shameless Ulcerate acolyte of the highest degree, after all. And if you’re not, it’s nigh impossible you wouldn’t be struck by something here. Because contained within are what I believe to be Ulcerate’s greatest manifestations of existentially anguished, veil-tearing truth and ambitious composition. Yes, it’s long—57 minutes—and yes, it’s loud—though not as loud as Shrines—but we don’t wait with bated breath for music we don’t want to play at high volume, or that we don’t want to end.

In saying all this, do I mark Cutting the Throat of God as Ulcerate’s best album? It’s impossible to call. It may not match the confrontational intensity of Everything is Fire, or the balanced intrigue of Destroyers. But of them all it is perhaps the most profound. A blissfully dark melting pot of the savagery, authenticity, and more recently, beauty that makes this icon of the dissonant death metal world who they are.

Rating: Excellent
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Debemur Morti
Websites: Official Site | Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: June 14th, 2024

#2024 #45 #AtmosphericDeathMetal #CuttingTheThroatOfGod #DeathMetal #DebemurMprtiProductions #DissonantDeathMetal #Jun24 #NewZealandMetal #Review #Reviews #Ulcerate

Look to Windward – The Last Scattering Surface Review

By sentynel

One of the greatest feelings as a reviewer is rolling the dice on a completely unknown band and discovering they’re amazing. But you have to play to win, and I totally failed to pick up any reviews by bands I didn’t already know last year. I resolved to do better this year. There’s no magic formula I’ve found to identifying great promos, so I tend to skim the promo submissions queue and wait for things to catch my eye for whatever reason. Look to Windward immediately stood out. Prog with a name that might be an Iain M Banks reference?1 Perfect. And they’ve been around as a studio collaboration since 2009 and this is their third album, so they ought to have found their groove.

The Last Scattering Surface pretty much immediately hits a lot of prog staples. The songwriting is varied, with changeable moods, complex song structure, and a multi-track movement. The riffs recall, say, Haken in their rhythms and chunkiness (“Why Ask?,” “The Condition”). The use of paired male and female vocals meanwhile reminds me of Anathema, particularly in the way they trade phrases or segments (“Relic,” “Earth Overture”). There are several different vocalists on the album, and this and the writing also bring shades of Ayreon at times too (“Dance of the Futile”). There are references to older prog as well, in the synths on “Dance of the Futile” or the guitar solo in “Theia Arrived One Fateful Day.” These things are tropes for a reason and generally work well.

The problem with tropes, though, is the lingering sense of déjà vu that pervades the entire album. While I never get the sense that a particular section is directly lifted from another band, I spend a significant proportion of it with that itch of “ooh this really reminds me of something” that I can’t quite put my finger on. I also find that the writing doesn’t ever quite deliver emotional impact. Consequently, I find myself zoning out on The Last Scattering Surface a lot. It’s rarely as ear-wormy or even memorable. Even the more interesting bits don’t stick as well as they should (“Why Ask?”). Many sections of the album slip by with nary a mark left—I still couldn’t tell you a thing about tracks like “River Mercury” or “Spin.”

Many of the highlights are down to vocalist Emily Rice, who has a great voice and stylistic range and elevates everything she appears on. “Theia Arrived One Fateful Day” is a particularly strong example. The guitar work is always strong technically, and there are some great riffs here (“The Condition,” “Dance of the Futile”). It also sounds good, especially for something self-produced, with a nice DR9 master and plenty of space for all the moving parts. On the downside, there are occasional issues with the male vocals. There’s moments that are slightly charmingly rough-and-ready in a way that again reminds me of some early prog (“Why Ask?”), but also some moments where they just sound a little strained (“Relic,” other bits of “Why Ask?”). And the programmed drums are… there.

Despite its issues, there’s a lot to like on The Last Scattering Surface. Its best moments find talented musicians playing interesting music, with a good balance of the weird, the complex and the poppy. There are strong foundations and flashes of greatness, and perhaps with a clearer vision it could hit those more consistently. But in hewing too close to prog tradition, Look to Windward lose their own voice and my attention, and that’s a shame.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Self-Released
Websites: looktowindwardmusic.com | looktowindward.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: May 31st, 2024

#25 #2024 #Anathema #Ayreon #Haken #LookToWindward #May24 #NewZealandMetal #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveRock #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #TheLastScatteringSurface