ADVENT24/24_DEC24

Mistigram: far from being localised entirely within anyone’s kitchen, Codefenix of Constructive Chaos BBS drew this striking illustration of the #AuroraBorealis for this date in last year’s ADVENT24 #ANSIart #AdventCalendar.

#AdventCalender #ADVENT24 #ANSIArt #auroraBorealis #ChristmasEve #codefenix #Dec24 #northernLights

August Moon – Something Eldritch and Macabre Review

By Steel Druhm

Written By: Nameless_N00b_87

As Listurnalia hits these hallowed halls with the year-end release doldrums in full swing, scraping the pit to unearth one last juicy morsel before the holidays can be a fool’s errand. Luckily, I didn’t have to scrape much as August Moon’s debut Something Eldritch and Macabre was gifted to me from the bone pile. Conceived at the epicenter of Finland’s renowned 90’s death metal scene as a side project and think tank of avant-garde ideas not suitable for their main band, As Serenity Fades, August Moon are a testament to patience. After a brief one-year run and the release of two demos, the group disbanded in 1994 before re-emerging in 2014 to continue crafting their debut. Though it took another decade to materialize, their initial four-song EP finally saw the light of day at the start of the year. Impressed, Personal Records took notice and promptly commissioned five more tracks within twelve months. Now finally, through the clouds of decade-long breaks, Something Eldritch and Macabre arrives.

Rooted in the Scandinavian melodeath scene of olde, one might expect August Moon to be a mere revival of early Sentenced or Amorphis. Yet, there is more lurking in the shadows than meets the eye. August Moon blend black, thrash, and power metal with hints of 70’s rock, and even flashes of 80’s synth (“Journey to Other-Worldly Realms and Beyond”), to craft appealing, dramatic compositions that are both engaging and gratifying. Amongst Something Eldritch and Macabre’s core elements are swarming tremolos, Gothenburg harmonies, Hammond-style organ refrains, thrashy Omnium Gatherum-esque melodic hooks, proto-metal grooves, and power metal panache filtered through raw and unrefined production. Underpinned by Tom Hendriksson’s rock syncopations and boosted by great songwriting, Peter Viherkanto’s fiery shredding works in lockstep with Mikko Sorja’s sharp bass and demonic growls to render August Moon’s genre-bending arrangements.

Something Eldritch and Macabre’s success thrives on dynamic songwriting that balances ambition with restraint. Viherkanto’s creative riff craft frames gripping transitions, unexpected shifts, synth and organ overtures, and triumphant crescendos which balance tension and release. Soaring organ lines following heavy blasts in “Constellations Dislodged from the Night Sky” and driving thrash riffs amidst relentless tremolo in “As Cataclysms Swept Across the Cities,” create irresistible headbanging moments that highlight Something Eldritch and Macabre’s strength. Elsewhere, the familiar Gothenburg harmonies embedded within the bridges of “Exitus” or “Summoning of the Feathered Serpent” act to counterbalance the thrash-heavy staccato marches, menacing slides, and frequent stops and starts that resurface throughout the record’s nine tracks. Hendriksson’s measured strikes give Viherkanto’s fretwork space to flourish, employing stylish and inspired rock-centric syncopations with periodic blasts, gallops, and modest tom patterns that enhance August Moon’s tactful songwriting with a selective hand. Though precarious a line it may be to walk, August Moon avoids the pitfall of going for broke and risking Something Eldritch and Macabre becoming a haphazard mess.

But Something Eldritch and Macabre’s pacing falters early and stumbles late. Opener “In the Gallery of All Things Macabre,” and penultimate track “Something Eldritch Up in the Heavens Soon to Wreak Havoc Down on Earth” feel like underwhelming and ordinary bookends to an otherwise great album full of artistic vigor, while closer “The Vulture Stone (Pillar 43 to Commemorate the Apocalypse)” is an apathetic finale. Additionally, Sorja’s growls are jarring at times and struggle to find their place within a treble-heavy mix that lacks low-end heft. Exacerbated by inconsistencies with volume, the raw production would benefit from a more balanced mix to settle Sorja’s growls and give punch to Hendriksson’s kick. Nevertheless, August Moon maintains my interest thanks to the material’s powerful hooks coupled with its concise 39-minute runtime.

Something Eldritch and Macabre is a pleasant surprise and a strong way to close out the year. While production issues and a few weaker tracks evidence that some fine-tuning remains, August Moon’s songwriting and unique blend of aggression and melody give me everything I want in a melodeath record. August Moon has proven that their decades-long journey has been worth it, and this first offering has only whetted my appetite for more.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Personal Records
Websites: Too Kvlt for da Webz
Releases Worldwide: December 13th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Amorphis #AsSerenityFades #AugustMoon #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #Dec24 #FinnishMetal #MelodicDeathMetal #OmniumGatherum #PersonalRecords #PowerMetal #Review #Reviews #Sentenced #SomethingEldritchAndMacabre #ThrashMetal

Stuck in the Filter: November and December 2024’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

Seeing as how it’s already almost February, you must be wondering why we’re still talking about shit from 2024. Not that I have to explain myself to you, but I didn’t give my minions grueling tasks just so that I could not take the glory for their labors. That wouldn’t embody this blog’s continual aspiration of being terrible capitalists! And so, we press on, searching and rescuing worthy—but not too worthy—pledges for the barbaric, Hunger Games-esque event that is Stuck in the Filter.

BEHOLD! Gaze upon these late-year candidates with the appropriate levels of awe, ye ov little consequence!

Kenstrosity’s Wintry Wonders

Caelestra // Bastion [December 13th, 2024 – Self Release]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For this sponge, I know something is beautiful when it ensnares me into otherworldly environments unlike those which mirrors terrestrial mundanity. UK post-metal one-man act Caelestra specializes in such ethereal worlds, with debut record Black Widow Nebula catching my attention under its blazing miasma of Countless Skies lushness, Astronoidal optimism, and Dreadnought-esque compositional vibrancy. Follow-up Bastion treads much the same path, but with an added emphasis on cathartic spells of intensity reminiscent of current Irreversible Mechanism (“Finisterre”), Kardashev (“Soteria”), or Devin Townsend (“The Hollow Altar”). Balancing these potentially disparate references, mastermind Frank Harper’s compositions flow with an uncanny smoothness without falling into a pit of homogeny. Bastion thereby represents a varied and textured affair built upon compelling guitar leads, unexpected riffs, multifaceted vocal techniques, and athletic percussive movements (“Finisterre,” “Lightbringer,” “The Hollow Altar”). Choosing the long form as Caelestra’s primary vehicle for this musical journey only deepens the experience, as each act offers a wide spectrum of moods, a rich tapestry of characters, and a lush layering of story to enrich any listener’s journey through Bastion (“Lightbringer,” “Eos”). Yet, the whole coheres tightly into a memorable and accessible forty-eight-minute span, easily replayable and effortlessly enjoyable. That, more than anything, makes Bastion a neat little triumph worth checking out.

Earthbound // Chronos [November 26th, 2024 – Self Release]

I have the honor of claiming this find all to my own—something that hasn’t occurred as often this past year as it has in those preceding. Bristol’s Earthbound offer a particular brand of melodic death metal that I want to love more often than I actually do, but they checked all my boxes here. Occupying a space somewhere between Amorphis, Countless Skies, and Dark Tranquillity, Earthbound’s style is simultaneously effervescent, introspective, and crushing on debut record Chronos. Boasting chunky riffs, soaring leads, classic melodeath rhythms, and buttery-smooth baritone vocals, Chronos throws blow after blow for forty-nine minutes of high-engagement material. Looking at standout tracks “A Conversation with God,” “The Architect,” “Cloudburst,” “Aperture,” and “Transmission,” Earthbound’s compelling songwriting tactics and knack for a killer hook recall underappreciated gems by modern contemporaries Rifftera and Svavelvinter. Some of their most accessible moments almost, but not quite, veer into pop-levels of accessibility, further accentuating Earthbound’s infectious energy (“Change,” “Flight,” “Transmission,” “Chasing the Wind”). This works marvelously in Earthbound’s favor, not only making Chronos a joy to listen to in its own right but also impressing me with how polished and professional the band is with only one full-length under the belt. Don’t let this one fall through the cracks!

Flaahgra // Plant Based Anatomy [November 15th, 2024 – Self Release]

WWWWOOOOOORRRRRRMMMHHHHHHOOO… wait, what? Oh, no, this is Flaahgra. But, the riffs sound like my beloved Wormhole! What’s going on? Oh, well this explains it. Sanil Kumar of Wormhole fame is responsible for Plant Based Anatomy’s guitar work. Rounded out by Tim “Toothhead” Lodge (bass), Chris Kulak (drums), and Anthony Michelli (vocals), this Baltimore quartet concoct a fast-paced, riff-burdened blunderbuss of gurgling vegan slam meatier than the fattest flank this side of Texas. It may be based around plants (and Metroid), but there are enough muscular grooves, neat lead work, and boisterous percussive rhythms here to keep even the most ravenous death fiend stuffed to the stamen (“Blood Flower,” “Toxic Green Fluid,” “Solar Recharge,” “Plant Based Anatomy”). Oversaturated with killer hooks, Plant Based Anatomy feels every bit as headbangable as this group’s pedigree indicates, but their application is delightfully straightforward, allowing Sanil’s standard-setting slams to shine brightest (“Plant Based Anatomy,” “Garden Cascade,” “Venom Weed Atrocity”). At a lean twenty-five minutes, Plant Based Anatomy rips through my system as efficiently as any grease-laden, overstuffed fast-food chimichanga, leaving just as vivid an impression in its wake. If there was ever a quick and easily digestible example of what differentiates really good slam from two-buck upchuck, Plant Based Anatomy is it. FFFLLAAAAHHHHGGGRRRAAAA!

Tyme’s Time Turners

Solar Wimp // Trails of Light [November 15th, 2024 – Self Release]

The richly dense knowledge and tastes of the commentariat here at AMG are a marvel. And despite the long hours of hard work the staff put in writing and keeping Redis at bay, not to mention the gut-wrenching task of pumping the n00b sump pit every Friday1 we continue to scour tons of promo to bring you the best and the rest of all things metal(ish). Invariably, some things trickle up from our most precious readers that deserve more attention than a few rando comments and respects. Such is the case with L.A.’s Solar Wimp. It was during my most recent stint in2 continued n00bdom that I scoped one of our commenters pimping the Wimp‘s who released, sadly to me now, their last album, Trails of Light, in November. As my ears absorbed the immediately quirky dissonance of the opener, “Entwined with Glass,” I was reminded of how blown away I was upon hearing Jute Gyte for the first time, this more due to my un-expectations than anything else. What followed was a journey I happily embarked on through fields of saxophonic freedom (“Strand and Tether”) and forests of long-form avant-garde brilliance (“Shimmer”). The black(ish) metal vocals and tech-jazz guitar histrionics of Jeremy Kerner, combined with Justin Brown’s bassinations and Mark Kimbrell’s drums, imbue so much passion into the music on Trails of Light, it has me guessing Solar Wimp may have very well saved their best for last. While I’m sure you’re ready to move on from 2024, I’d encourage you to dip back into last year’s well for a bit and give Solar Wimp’s Trails of Light a listen or five.

Thus Spoke’s Fallen Fragments

Yoth Iria // Blazing Inferno [November 8th, 2024 – Edged Circle Productions]

Yoth Iria’s sophomore Blazing Inferno arrived with little fanfare, which is a shame because they’re very good at what they do. Their brand of Hellenic black metal even charmed a 3.5 out of GardensTale with their 2021 debut As the Flame Withers. The new album very much picks up where its predecessor left off, in musical content as well as the fact that Yoth Iria clearly have a thing for giant demonic figures dwarfing human civilization. In a refreshingly to-the-point format, the group3 serve up some solid, groovy Satanic triumphalism that belies the relatively diminutive breadth of the songs that contain it. With thundering drums (“In the Tongue of Birds,” “We Call Upon the Elements”), spirited guitar leads (“But Fear Not,” “Mornings of the One Thousand Golds”), and a collection of classic growls, ominous whispers, and cleans, Yoth Iria craft engaging and very enjoyable compositions. Tracks manage to hold atmosphere and presence without detracting from the dopamine-producing tremolo twists and wails of drawn-out melody (title track, “Rites of Blood and Ice,” “Mornings…”) that draw it all together. This is black metal that makes you feel good about allying with the light-bringer. Not in any highbrow way, of course, just with great riffs, the right amount of tension and nuance, and convincingly massive compositions that steer away from the overwrought and cringe-inducing. It’s just plain good.

Botanist // VII: Beast of Arpocalyx [December 6th, 2024 – Self-Release]

Though recorded all the way back in 2016, the music of Beast of Arpocalyx has not seen the light until now. The seventh installment in the esoteric, botanical saga, VII: Beast of Arpocalyx focuses on plants with mythological animal associations. In comparison to last May’s Paleobotany, this is the solo work of founder Otrebor yet the heart of Botanist’s music has never been compromised. The distinctive tones of hammered dulcimer, make the black metal ring—literally and metaphorically—with playful mysticism when they engage in chirruping and cheerful refrains (“Wolfsbane,” “The Barnacle Tree”) and a weird eeriness when they stray into the dissonant (“The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary,” “Floral Onyx Chiroptera”). Nothing is substantially different here, but Botanist’s style is an enjoyably quirky one that I, at least, am always happy to indulge in. In many ways, this is not far removed from raw black metal, with the prominent chimes of (not always tuneful) melodicism wrapping snarls and rasps in an iridescent veil that makes the psychedelic turns from whimsical peace to urgent and barbed blastbeat aggression (“The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary,” “The Paw of Anigozanthos”) very compelling, pleasant even. Yeah, it’s kind of weird to hear chorals or synths under blackened rasps and clanging drums, while a dulcimer warbles along. But when the weirdness nonetheless succeeds in developing an atmosphere and inducing a desire to garner a similarly obsessive knowledge of flora, I can’t really complain.

Killjoy’s Atmospheric Attractions

Nishaiar // Enat Meret [December 5, 2024 – Self-Release]

2024 may technically be over, but there were a few releases in December that keep dragging my attention back to last year. First up is Nishaiar from Gondar, Ethiopia, whose sound resides at the unlikely intersection of traditional Ethiopian music, post-black metal, and Enya-style New Age. Coming off an arduous release schedule that yielded an EP and 5 full-lengths in only 4 years, Nishaiar took some extra time to recharge since Nahaxar in 2021. The results are readily apparent–Enat Meret features some of the punchiest material the band has written to date. “Yemelek” combines folk instruments, vibrant male chanting, and rending screams. An important element that elevates Enat Meret is the addition of a full-time female vocalist, whose moniker also happens to be Enat Meret. Her voice ranges from ethereal (“Idil”) to wistful (“Enat Midir”) to commanding (“Beheke”). There is some bloat—intro track “Semayawi” repeats itself for too long and “Awedal” through “Alem” leans too hard into atmosphere to be suitable for active listening. Even so, this is an album unlike any other you’re likely to hear anytime soon.

Atra Vetosus // Undying Splendour [December 20, 2024 – Immortal Frost Productions]

Next up is Atra Vetosus, who came to me by way of rec-master TomazP. Undying Splendour is a captivating work of atmospheric black metal that tempers the wanderlust of Skyforest with the melodic trem-picked fury of Mare Cognitum. It’s stuffed with triumphant, uplifting guitar melodies that contrast compellingly with mournful, anguished shouts and screams. Like a flowing stream, the graceful orchestrations smooth out any rough edges in their path, pairing exceptionally well with the rhythm section in the intro of “Forsaking Dreaded Paths.” The brawny bass lines throughout the album add satisfying oomph and the drumming is constantly engaging with lots of fleeting tempo shifts (“This Fallow Heart”) and expansive tom rolls (“Elysian Echoes”). Atra Vetosus have perfected the difficult art of long-form atmoblack—all the proper songs on Undying Splendour are between 7 and 11 minutes long and, crucially, feel purposeful without meandering. Though atmoblack is often maligned, I’ll happily get behind Atra Vetosus as one of the new standard bearers of the genre at its very best.

Skagos // Chariot Sun Blazing [December 21, 2024 – Self-Release]

They say that good things come to those who wait. Skagos makes an excellent case for this expression with Chariot Sun Blazing, an appropriate title given the tremendous glow-up that the atmospheric black metal group underwent since releasing Anarchic in 2013. While their woodsy black metal has always maintained similarities with the likes of Wolves in the Throne Room (who are also based in Olympia, Washington), this time around the music is infused with a real live string quartet and a two-horn section4. The effects of this additional instrumentation run way more than skin deep; Chariot Sun Blazing feels and flows like an actual symphony. For instance, the combination of the Wagner tuba with guitar plucking in the beginning of “Which in Turn Meet the Sea” evoke a misty morning which gradually warms up with guitar and string crescendos to thaw the leftover frost. The compositions are introspective and intimate, which is refreshing when compared with the usual grandiosity and bombast of symphonic music (metal or otherwise). While there’s nothing wrong with the raspy vocals, this is a rare instance when I would be completely okay if this were an instrumental album. This is an experience absolutely not to be missed.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Late-Blooming Bustles

Alarum // Recontinue [November 8th, 2024 – Self Release]

So many bands in the progressive and technical lanes forget to have fun. Not long, unheralded Australian prog/thrash/jazz fusion-heads Alarum, though. Truth be told, I had forgotten this band existed sometime before their 2011 release Natural Causes all up until about September of 2024 when I caught wind of this new release, Recontinue. Their oddball, heavily Cynic-inspired 2004 opus Eventuality… had stood the test of time in my archives plenty for its wild fusion antics woven into a riff-tricky, bass-poppin’ technical platform. And here, twenty years later, little has changed at Alarum’s foundation. A few things have shifted for the better, though, namely Alarum finding a more balanced resonance in production brightness and clarity, which helps highlight the flirtatious bass play of tracks like “The Visitor” and “Footprints” come to life. Additionally, this crisp and cutting mix allows the joyous neoclassical shredding escapades to carve a blazing path toward textures and alien warbles with a Holdsworth-ian charm (“Zero Nine Thirty,” “Awaken by Fire”). But, most importantly, Alarum continues to bring an ever-shuffling thrash energy similar to early Martyr works (“Imperative,” “Unheard Words,” “Into Existing”) while continuing to remember to toss in off-the-wall detours, like the funk-wah intro of “A Lifelong Question” or the bossa nova outro of “The Visitor.” Recontinue, as a late-career release from a continual dark horse from the land down under remains a consistent joy for the ears. If you’ve never heard Alarum to this point, and you’ve always wished that a jazzy, Cynic-inspired band would come around with a more metal attitude than the current trajectory of their inspirations, get Recontinue in your ears as soon as possible. And if, like me, you’ve fallen of the righteous path, know that time can correct all sorts of silly mistakes.

Gorging Shade // Inversions [November 11th, 2024 – Self Release]

With a sound that is as otherwordly and looming as it is terrestrial and bass-loaded, Gorging Shade has taken a vigorous and shaking progressive death metal form. The proficiency with which every performer weaves disparate melodic lines through echoing, ghastly samples and chaotic, witchy background chatter does not come entirely as a surprise, as the entire roster consists of the members of instrumental progressive act Canvas Solaris. Mood, atmosphere and a bellowing howl, though, separate this incarnation of Georgia’s finest. But the eerie space that Inversions inhabits too has manifested as a collective of talents on display with another offshoot from this act, the dark industrial Plague Pslams (composed of bassist Gael Pirlot and drummer Hunter Ginn, who also currently plays with Agalloch). As an experience layered between the history of sounds these tech wizards have created, Inversions lands dense and challenging. At its core, a rhythmic stomp propels each of its tracks alongside percussive riffs that echo the constant motion of Cynic, the blackened scrawl of Emperor, and the melancholy triumph of Ulcerate swells. But in a package uniquely Gorging Shade, a world emerges from each carefully constructed narrative. Sometimes energy rushes forth (“Disease of Feeling, Germed”). At others, noises creaking and crawling lay teasing grounds for careful exploration (“Ordeal of the Bitter Water,” “A Concession of Our City to Modernity”). Whatever the mode of attack, Gorging Shade delivers in a classic and meticulous wall of sound—perhaps a touch too volume-loaded on occasion—that hits first in waves of melodic intrigue, second in aftershocks of plotted and studied efforts. Its later in the year released may have kept Inversions’ treasures more hidden than I would have liked. The beauty of music, of course, is that we may sit with it as little or as long as we wish to parse its tireless arrangement.

#2024 #Agalloch #Alarum #AmericanMetal #Amorphis #Astronoid #AtmosphericBlackMetal #AtraVetosus #AustralianMetal #AvantGardeMetal #BlackMetal #BlazingInferno #Botanist #Caelestra #CanvasSolaris #ChariotSunBlazing #Chronos #CountlessSkies #Cynic #DarkTranquility #DeathMetal #Dec24 #DevinTownsend #Dreadnought #Earthbound #EdgedCircleProductions #Emperor #EnatMeret #Enya #EthiopianMetal #Flaahgra #GorgingShade #GreekMetal #Holdsworth #ImmortalFrostProductions #Inversions #IrreversibleMechanism #JuteGyte #Kardashev #MareCognitum #martyr #MelodicDeathMetal #Nishaiar #Nov24 #PlaguePsalms #PostBlackMetal #PostMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Recontinue #Review #Reviews #Rifftera #RottingChrist #SelfRelease #Skagos #Skyforest #Slam #SolarWimp #StuckInTheFilter #Svavelvinter #TechDeath #TechnicalDeathMetal #TrailsOfLight #UKMetal #Ulcerate #UndyingSplendour #VIIBeastOfArpocalyx #WolvesInTheThroneRoom #Wormhole #YothIria

Moondark – The Abysmal Womb Review

By Tyme

Thirty years is a long time to spend brewing up a debut album, but for Sweden’s Moondark, it’s taken precisely that. Neither the result of sloth nor overwrought perfectionism, Moondark‘s cadre of musicians—composed of current members from Interment and October Tide—have put in plenty of work during this time, contributing to some of Sweden’s heaviest hitters like Katatonia, Centinex, Necrophobic and the tragically short-lived Trees of Eternity.1 Not so hot on the heels then of their independently released Demo #1 in 1993, which Xtreem Music reissued as The Shadowpath in 2015, Moondark and label Pulverised Records are finally ready to serve up debut proper The Abysmal Womb to the masses. Will it shine brightly as a beacon at night, or would it be better for this lunar body to remain eclipsed?

Moondark trades the HM2 pedals and melodicism of their day jobs for a pummeling, straightforward death-doom style on The Abysmal Womb. Solo-less and stripped of technicality as it is, the simple harmonized leads layered over crushing power chords rend the ears and do most of The Abysmal Womb’s damage. Johan Jansson’s and Mattias Norrman’s deliberately restrained yet devastating guitar work conjures strong Bolt Thrower vibes (“Suffer the Dark,” “Infernal Genocide”), as well as whiffs of Bloodbath (“Palliative Dusk”) and sludgy sprinklings of early Crowbar (“Sterile Earth”). Combined with Allan Lundholm’s beefy bass lines and Kennet Englund’s crushing drums, Moondark leaves listeners battered and bruised, as if having survived a ruthless session of sledgehammer flagellation.

Don’t let its near holiday release fool you, there’s no joy within the cavernous confines of Moondark’s creation. The Abysmal Womb’s opening salvo is a one-two punch to the solar plexus and the album’s highlight. “Where Once Was Life,” with its almost Cathedral-esque doom bluesy swagger, will have your head bobbing and your face stanking while the dismal dirge of follow-up “Suffer the Dark” steamrolls you into submission under tank treads of skull-crushing riffs. You’ll be left pining for General Willets and his army of Warmasters to come to the rescue as The Abysmal Womb continues to march, one boot-stomping riff after another. Decimating the last bastion of hope then, and perfectly placed in Peter Bjärgö’s warm and hearty mix are the brutishly discernible growls and icy rasps of vocalist Alexander Högbom, whose Peter Tätgren-does-Ofermod delivery solidifies the relentless atmosphere Moondark is trying to achieve.

However, as The Abysmal Womb crawls past its midpoint, it becomes painfully clear that the horse has been annihilated, yet the beatings continue. Moondark’s firm commitment to plodding pace and nothing-but-bludgeoning riff patterns sees fatigue set in by the end of “Infernal Genocide,” rendering the remainder of The Abysmal Womb a nearly indistinguishable collection of mid-paced riffs as opposed to individually diverse songs. And while I wouldn’t categorize The Abysmal Womb as overtly bloated at just over forty-six minutes, it could benefit from some sloughing. The final track, “Immersed to Crypts,” is the prime example of trimmable fat; with its funeral-like pace and near eight-minute run time—two minutes of which are an ambient outro—spoiling what could have been a stronger outing had the album concluded with the title track.

Scouring the promo pit in December can be tricky, and if you asked me whether I’d enjoy an album made up entirely of mid-paced Bolt Thrower-core and “Eaten”-like Bloodbathery I would immediately tell you, “Hell yes!” But too much of a good thing can sometimes be too much. The Abysmal Womb is a good album, but it suffers under the weight of its commitment. With a dash of the speedy ferocity from Interment and a pinch of October Tide’s melodicism, Moondark might have a masterpiece in its future; the cachet of its members suggests as much. I just hope we don’t have to wait another thirty years to find out.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pulverised Records
Websites: moondark666.bandcamp.com | pulverised.bandcamp.com |
facebook.com/moondark666
Releases Worldwide: December 20th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Bloodbath #BoltThrower #Crowbar #DeathMetal #Dec24 #DoomMetal #Moondark #PulverisedRecords #Review #Reviews #SludgeMetal #SwedishMetal #TheAbysmalWomb

Wuldorgast – Cold Light Review

By Alekhines Gun

As the tendrils of winter usher in good bourbon1, unwanted family visits, and moon-bitten frost, the trvest of the black metallers come out to peddle their wares. Releasing anything so late in the year is a bold move, as list-mania seizes the hearts of authors across the blogosphere, making an uphill battle for bands from the first note. Here to try their luck today is two-man USBM outfit Wuldorgast, a band so young that at the time of this writing, they don’t even have a page on the Archives. Such youthful vigor is brimming with promise, and debut Cold Light arrives with admittedly dope artwork, seeking to leave its mark on my top ten(ish) and trigger a holly jolly shakeup. Does it stand a chance?

Cold Light sports some of the most engaging production I’ve heard in a black metal album by a country mile, filtering the razor wire of Spectral Wound into a Blasted Heath echoing assault. This extra touch of the cavernous (rather than the merely lo-fi) helps the drums to thunder and riffs to ring out with space and clarity, aiding chug-heavy sections in “Natural Life is Eternal Battle” and the more blast-heavy sections of “Cold Light of Reason” in assaulting the listener from the onset. Leads are caustic and catchy, weaving blackened infectiousness from the first listen, with trusty double base incisions disguising simplistic riffing under howling, reverb-drenched trimming. Vocals yowl and shriek with organic bile, sounding like they’re emerging from the bottom of a well. All in all, Cold Light lashes out as engaging and pleasing to the ear.

However, repeated listens slowly degrade infectiousness into replete repetition and overt simplicity. The first half of Cold Light sports riffs that sound like Judas Iscariot with improved production, but Wuldorgast forgot to include the proper stream-of-consciousness flow that comes with the style. Instead, the listener is treated with moments and melodies that are enjoyable at first blush, only for the band to insist that you don’t yet enjoy them as much as you ought. First song ” Obscured in Shadows” features exactly four riffs, run through twice. Other songs feature more riffs in quantity, but each sound like a minor tonal variant of the one that came before it until all the moments begin to blur together in a haze. The drumming is serviceable in such sections and leads are ear-worm bait, but are placed predictably and are played exhaustively, as if the band got too stoked on their own ideas and forgot how to self-edit.

This is made more confounding by the matter of track sequencing. Wuldorgast manages to cram almost all their good ideas into the back half of the album. Cold Light ends with songs featuring actual time signature changes, riffs that consist of more than two to five notes2 and vocal style alterations. “Cipher to Eternity” is the easy highlight, with absolutely monster chug sections, punky riffs, nifty effects over the instruments, and leads that scream “mosh-fodder” after the first measure. Such a bizarre raise in quality (instead of the typical front-loading) does make Cold Light a unique listen, but the good songs don’t outweigh the front half’s collection of tediousness.

Ultimately, this peculiar bisection of quality is Wuldorgast’s greatest stumbling block. Black metal this cavernous is a rare treat, and when Cold Light hits, it hits hard and with savagery. In tone, I enjoy it very much. It is unfortunate that it hits far too infrequently, with no tone able to disguise its weakness. An improved track sequencing and greater use of imagination across an album’s worth of songs will go far in helping them cultivate their sound. Otherwise, this is a curious end-of-year footnote. If you haven’t had your fill of winter black metal yet, harvest the b sides for a playlist, but otherwise, it seems year-end lists are destined to remain undisturbed.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Website: wuldorgast.bandcamp.com/album/cold-light
Releases Worldwide: December 13th, 2024

#20 #2024 #AmericanMetal #BlackMetal #BlastedHeath #ColdLight #Dec24 #IronBonehead #JudasIscariot #Review #Reviews #SpectralWound #Wuldorgast

ADVENT23/24_DEC23

Mistigram: @thegreenherring drew this #ANSIart scene of #RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer’s big moment for this date on last year’s ADVENT23 #AdventCalendar.

#24December #ADVENT23 #ANSIArt #Dec24 #RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer #theGreenHerring

ADEPTAPRIL/DEC24

Mistigram: #TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas on the screen of my system, and if I didn’t share AdeptApril’s daily #ANSIart screens, you’d feel like you’d have missed ’em.

#24December #AdeptApril #ANSIArt #ChristmasEve #ChristmasTree #Dec24 #theNightBeforeChristmas

Hades Rising – Chaos Review

By Killjoy

Hades Rising is a testament to the power of camaraderie. Originally formed in Greece by Bill Written as an atmospheric death metal project, he soon moved to Tromsø, Norway where he released a promising but unpolished self-titled album in 2017 and an EP As Frost Takes Over in 2018. Not long afterward, Juan Vazquez Garcia joined him on guitar and songwriting, while also helping to sustain morale amidst years of member turnover and no less than three rewrites of the material that now makes up Chaos. Their hard work and perseverance paid off, culminating in a finals appearance in Wacken Metal Battle Norway in 2023. And now, a year later, Chaos arrives with a plucky statement of intent to break into the symphonic death metal scene.

Hades Rising chose an unusual spot to set up camp in the burgeoning realm of symphonic-tinged metal. The plentiful orchestrations certainly help to build dramatic tension, however, they are used more for garnishment than substance. The result is something like Fleshgod Apocalypse with much of the bombast stripped out and replaced with the intimate melancholy of Fires in the Distance. This may sound paradoxical on paper, but Hades Rising generally pull it off well. The majority of Chaos settles comfortably in medium tempo with far fewer blast beats than one might expect from death metal. There are small forays into melodeath (“The Paradox”) and black metal (“The Voyage”) which add flavor without detracting from the overall consistency.

Chaos is at its strongest when there is a conscious effort to craft a deliberate tone. This is best exemplified by “One with the Murder,” a dabble with death-doom, where the slower, more deliberate pace favors the minimalist orchestral compositions. Where compositions tend to falter is when they attempt to prop up extended guitar chugging in the two opening tracks “Spiraling” and “The Obscurity of Life.” Thankfully, moments like these are rare as the record progresses. Most songs contain some form of instrumental break which, in a strange twist, is what I look forward to the most. They range from gentle tremolos (“The Obscurity of Life”) to intrepid guitar solos (“Chaos”), lending nuance to the rich emotional atmosphere.

Sadly, a few traits dull this attention to detail in the songwriting and make Chaos feel more homogeneous than it is. The first is the programmed drums. While it’s understandable why a small independent band would use it, their increasingly grandiose aspirations mean that they are outgrowing the drum machine.1 More problematic is the overreliance on Bill Written’s deep, rumbling death growls that seldom vary in pitch and are a bit too loud in the mix. He has a fantastic singing voice but only uses it in “The Voyage” and “Lay Your Head.” The latter in particular sees Hades Rising firing on all cylinders to close out the album, featuring double-tracked vocals and nifty bass and guitar solos, and it’s unfortunate that this level of variety didn’t permeate the material that came before. All of this makes the 49-minute runtime drag slightly and the weaker tracks “Only Ashes Left” and “As Darkness Fades” could have been excised to strengthen the entire package.

Much like Chaos’ album art, Hades Rising strikes me as an entity still deciding what exactly they want to be. If they want to continue pursuing the symphonic death course, they should double down on the orchestral facet and make it more prominent and dramatic. Or they could pivot to a death-doom direction more suited to the crushing atmosphere that’s present here. In any case, I believe the best is yet to come from these gentlemen as they continue to refine their already solid writing skills. Chaos won’t be threatening to topple many year-end lists at the eleventh hour, but neither does it deserve to be lost in the kerfuffle of the impending Listurnalia.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Website: hadesrising.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/hadesrising
Releases Worldwide: December 18th, 2024

#2024 #30 #AtmosphericDeathMetal #Chaos #DeathMetal #Dec24 #FiresInTheDistance #FleshgodApocalypse #HadesRising #InternationalMetal #NorwegianMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #SymphonicDeathMetal

Winds of Tragedy – Death Wash Over Me Review

By Twelve

Since its inception in 2022, Winds of Tragedy has put out one full-length per year, and I was starting to wonder if it wouldn’t happen this time. Maybe, I thought, running a record label has finally taken up enough of his time that Chilean mastermind Sergio Catalán will have to dial back on his usual creative outlets. More fool I—Catalán seemingly never stops, and Winds of Tragedy is back with its third full-length release, Death Wash Over Me. In the past, I’ve commented that the rapid cadence of these releases leads to too little change or shift between them, and so with every release, I look for the changes, the progress, the forward momentum that signals a new direction on the horizon. It’s a fascinating way to review new music, but Winds of Tragedy is an interesting project. How does the new one hold up?

Death Wash Over Me is a bleak album—the cover art should give that much away—but not in the doom-heavy way that Hating Life and As Life Drifts Away were. Death Wash Over Me sees Winds of Tragedy experimenting more with sound than Catalán arguably ever has. The album is filled with thrash-y riffs and snarling vocals, and pulls back on the mournful leads, heavy keys, and guttural roars that have been Catalán’s hallmarks for several years now. In fact, the vocal style is so different from previous Winds of Tragedy and Rise to the Sky releases that I had to double-check that there was no new vocalist—the rasps and snarls that dominate Death Wash Over Me are impressive, very well-suited to the music, and a huge step up from the previous two albums.

The other notable thing about Death Wash Over Me is that, as it progresses, it moves increasingly into depressive black metal territory. “I Am No One” is standard Winds of Tragedy fare, with a slow strings start and a gradual build over a solid riff. “My Feet Don’t Touch the Floor,” on the other hand, even apart from the title, is significantly more desperate, with guest vocals from Void in the form of manic shrieking that evokes Ezkaton in a darkly depressive duo with Catalán’s snarls. “I Built My House to Suffer” leans further into the depressive side, with more shrieks from Void and strong riffing infused with emotional keys. There is a lot of this depressive imagery in use across the album—even in the song titles (“I’m Fine But Not Really,” “Giving Up on Life”) it’s hard to avoid the dismay and depression that dominates the forty-minute runtime.

That aspect of Death Wash Over Me is likely to be its make-or-break element for many listeners, with the extreme vocals and imagery enhancing or damaging the album’s flow depending on whether or not you like them. It’s always a risk for an artist to experiment with extreme elements like this. For me, the best moments on the album don’t make use of them; “I’m Fine but Not Really” and “Giving Up on Life” have great acoustic moments and electric leads that add so much emotional depth that I wish Winds of Tragedy had utilized them more. The vocal samples in “Blood Will Wash All That’s Left of Me” don’t quite add that same depth, and Void’s guest spots feel awkward in a few places. Fortunately, the album is rooted in a fair, if slightly loud mix that does a good job of balancing these many elements into a cohesive whole.

These elements make Death Wash Over Me a tough album for me to rate. In some ways, it is the strongest Winds of Tragedy release for me, with some of the best vocals Catalán has ever done and superb instrumental moments. On the other hand, it demonstrates a potential departure from familiar territory into a side of music that I usually don’t turn to. I’d try to be objective, but that’s obviously impossible, so I’ll just go with my gut and say it’s a good album that shows untapped potential. Winds of Tragedy could go in several directions from here—I’ll be very interested to see which one Catalán treads next.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Tragedy Productions
Websites: windsoftragedy.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/WindsofTragedy
Releases Worldwide: December 13th, 2024

#2024 #30 #BlackMetal #ChileanMetal #DeathWashOverMe #Dec24 #DepressiveBlackMetal #Ezkaton #Review #Reviews #RiseToTheSky #TragedyProductions #WindsOfTragedy

Misanthropy – The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance Review

By Kenstrosity

Apparently, Chicago progressive tech death quartet Misanthropy used to play thrash metal. Once I learned of this shift, it felt like I could suddenly hear a thrashy thread running through their newest release, The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance. Having no prior experience with Misanthropy’s back catalog, I walked into their third record with an open mind, ready and willing to be probed by the wild and the wacky. Sometimes, unexpected changes make for unexpected pleasures.

You’d be forgiven for mistakenly clocking Misanthropy as boilerplate tech death based solely on outward appearances. You’d nonetheless be incorrect. For the longest time, I struggled to nail down exactly what amalgamation of sounds and styles Misanthropy represented. But then I started writing this piece and it hit me. Imagine a dirtier Augury fed through an Atrae Bilis filter and finished with a proggy Atvm glaze, and you have a roughly accurate blueprint of what to expect from current Misanthropy. Twisting, gnarled compositions, motivated by Paul’s multifaceted kitwork, mesh and morph against guitarists Kevin’s and Jose Valles’ unending cavalcade of mind-shredding riffs. Mark’s burbling bass and vicious vox form both the throbbing underbelly and the piercing voice of the record, propelling The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance through its forty-five-minute tale with gusto and gravity. In totality, The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance represents a fierce and furious affair. Yet, countless stops and swaps between blistering grooves, manic freakouts, mind-melting churns, and ground-shaking stomps leave me mostly rapt throughout.

Highlighting standout moments on The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance proves a challenge, as Misanthropy penned so many killer passages into these seven songs that it’s hard to pick favorites. Even so, massive pit-opening grooves and slithering riffs elevate thrashier songs like “The All-Devouring” to the top of the pile. An eerie, waltzing dalliance with jazz rhythms allows opener “Of Sulking and the Wrathful” to shine in its back half as well, showcasing Misanthropy’s knack for oddball transitions that work deceivingly well in the context of their chosen style. At first I struggled to appreciate “Condemned to a Nameless Tomb” and “Descent” for their unorthodox combination of Veilburner stream-of-consciousness writing and Artificial Brain shimmer, but with time I grew to appreciate their place in the lineup as the next-door-neighbor monstrosities that they are. Unafraid to get down and dirty, “Sepulcher” offers just the right amount of funky Alkaloid intelligence to offset filthy Incantation tones and harmonized riffing, expertly juggling straightforward and slimy with weird and wretched.

Impressive though it is that Misanthropy managed to cover so much stylistic ground without sullying their unique new character, The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance remains a touch disjointed as a whole. Tonally, Misanthropy play fearlessly with rough-hewn textures inside a more clinical environment, but there are moments of mild uncanny valley associated with that experiment, as certain elements of Misanthropy’s flexible sound clash rather than coalesce (“A Cure for the Pestilence”). Misanthropy’s willingness and ability to throw everything but the kitchen sink at their compositions without totally destabilizing everything deserves great respect, but it sometimes comes at the cost of fluidity and cohesion (“Consumed by the Abyss”). This, therefore, makes certain sections of The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance somewhat difficult to listen to casually, as I often lose details or miss quality segments when not listening intently. Additionally, the occasional abrupt switch between unexpected change-ups make already lengthy tracks (most soar past the six minute mark) feel even lengthier.

Thankfully, listening intently is quite literally my job here, and I spend lots of time with my charges. Consequently, I can assure you that The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance represents yet another killer in Transcending Obscurity’s lineup of crazy beasts. It may not be everyone’s favorite creature, but if you aren’t careful, it’s liable to sink its teeth into your flesh and rend it from the bone regardless. Some, if not most, of you would probably love that, I’m sure. If so, Misanthropy’s third unleashment is a fine selection for your sick kicks.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: misanthropychicago.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/MisanthropyChicago
Releases Worldwide: December 13th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Alkaloid #AmericanMetal #ArtificialBrain #AtraeBilis #Atvm #Augury #DeathMetal #Dec24 #Incantation #Misanthropy #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheEverCrushingWeightOfStagnance #TranscendingObscurityRecords #Veilburner