In this post, I collect my instagram reviews for the week for albums released in 2022. All my non-2022 reviews are gathered in a post as soon as a decent number has accumulated. I listen to mostly metal, but I do not limit myself to any genre.
Ottone Pesante - ...and the Black Bells Rang
Genre: Avantgarde Metal / Brass
Label: aural music
When I first heard Ottone Pesante, I didn´t quite understand what I was hearing. I did not know how the sounds on the album got made, so I just felt like it was a horrible guitar tone and moved on. Only later did I find out that all the sounds on the album were made with brass instruments and suddenly it kind of clicked. The textures on the albums are unusual, to say the least. Trombones are rarely treated to guitar effects like this and there is a truly apocalyptic vibe to the music. The issue was that their range seemed a bit limited, which was amplified by the lack of vocals. Favoring slightly dissonant textures over straightforward songwriting, Ottone Pesante is challenging in more then one way.
Luckily, this release is only an EP, though. I find that a lot of the issues I had with them on their full-length are less pronounced here. Especially track 'Carne Marcia' brings a lot of that unique feeling of having a spanish matador fighting a bull while the world is ending around them. But the EP has some atmosphere, as well, as 'Die ewige Wiederkunft des Gleichen' shows with its almost Richard Strauss-ian drone that opens the piece. I can certainly say that these musicians are adept and creative at their instruments and that they try to make this album as varied as they can, even if they are limited by their instruments of choice. I do prefer them to similar "metal without guitars" bands like botanist or apocalyptica, that´s for sure.
Rating: 6/10.
Desolate Shrine - Fires of the Dying World
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Dark Descent Records
An unfortunate truth of the OSDM revival is that some bands are getting way more imitators than most. Entonbedcore has become a semi-slur by result of that and the amount of uninspired caverncore-clones of the mighty Incantation must be in the thousands at this point. Desolate Shrine is inspired by Incantation as well, but luckily, they do manage to stand out from the masses. Desolate Shrine manage to craft an Atmosphere without en excessive amount of trem-picking or absurd amounts of reverb, but with songwriting and just the right amounts of everything.
Ironically, the first thing I notice is how nice and lush the reverb sounds. Desolate Shrine open 'Fires of the Dying World' with clean guitars and some of the lushest texture reverb I heard in a while. And at the same time, everything is crystal clear. Desolate Shrine seem to not just play the same stuff as everybody else, but then add reverb, turning it into a sonic mess. Instead, they seem to be in control of the atmospheres they create. Luckily, it is not all atmosphere either as the band doesn´t need to resort to any type of mindless chug or trem, but indeed has "riffs" at all times. Lastly, the vocal performance is just a notch above the cookie monster growl that most Incantacore acts do. Cookie Monster growls exist (thank god!), but they´re also varied with desperate, almost shouty mids and even some cleaner vocals here and there. Desolate Shrine made one of the best DM records of the year, especially in the realm of "pure" Death Metal without any progressive or avantgarde tendencies.
Rating: 7/10
Nite - Voices of the Kronian Moon
Genre: Blackened Traditional Metal / Black and Roll
Label: Season of Mist
Very few bands play the style of Blackened Traditional Metal and even fewer bands play it well. Nite is such an act and while I love what they are doing in concept, I can´t say that it works all that well in execution. Nite focus on the upper mid pace with guitars that clearly are inspired by the New Wave of British Heavy metal. Tremolo picking is quasi-nonexistent on the album with the band instead focusing on gallops, mid-paced quasi-chugs and harmonised leads. All of it sounds like it could be fun, but the band just lacks the energy and all songs sound like they´re at least 20% too slow. The vocals are also unenergetic as hell, focusing on a mid-frequency rasp that never changes in delivery.
Hearing Nite makes me really appreciate what Sleagt where doing on their latest album. While Sleagt was maybe a little too indulgent, with songs running too long, they clearly showed that they were very much into the style they were actually playing. Nite sound very disinterested in what they´re doing and the Black Metal influence sounds like a total afterthought - maybe slapped onto lackluster traditional metal to get a gimmick that the band can be sold upon? Slaegt was too indulgent, sure, but Nite aren´t even really milking the best aspects of their sound. The opening to "Liber Ex Doctrina" starts with some arpeggios with a modulated clean tone and desperately begs to have some lead guitar over it. Nite are supposed to be cheesy throwback stuff, so why am I not getting any lactose out of it?
Rating: 4/10
Falls of Rauros - Key to a Vanishing Future
Genre: Atmospheric Black / Post Metal
Label: Eisenwald
Falls of Rauros are one of the bands that, after Agalloch had broken up, really seemed to carry the torch of the style - in a way even more so than the Bands that actually followed Agalloch. Falls of Rauros have always delivered atmoblack that actually had things happening, not only because they actually seemed to know how much importance bass in a mix has. Falls of Rauros aren´t a trem fest and I can always tell what they are doing, instrumentally. I appreciate that not only some vague emotional response is attempted, but also something that my brain can follow.
'Key to a Vanishing Future' also seems to have the slightest Death Metal influence, especially on the opening of "Desert of Heart", with melodicism that reminds me of the Goteborg bands. In general, next to the aforementioned bass, the melodies on display here are what makes 'Key' so enjoyable. Falls of Rauros know how to wring even the last bit of drama out of every melodic lead section. It is here that I also find a 70s prog influence - especially 'Daggers in Floordlight' seems to hint at some King Crimson appreciation for me, with it´s beautiful, mellotron-esque string arrangements. I expect to having to stew a little on this album, however, as I don´t immediately feel a lot of what they want me to feel - I understand it intellectually, but the heart doesn´t immediately follow. I do think 'Key to a Vanishing Future' deserves a little more time.
Rating: high 6, low 7/10
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