This post collects the reviews posted to Instagram for the week. They cover mostly metal, but other genres might be considered. Blog exclusive reviews from other writers are featured, as well.
Scuttlegoat's Curmudgeonly Critiques
De Profundis - The Corruption of Virtue
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Release Date: 07-10-2022
De Profundis have had quite the stylistic journey until now. Starting out as a Death Doom act, the band has explored more frantic and technical territory with each release without ever outright turning into a Tech Death act. The band assumes certain mannerisms of Tech Death, of course - in particular the bass work, which is a stellar piece of fretless wankery. But De Profundis seem to care more about instrumental expresson than instrumental bragging. The band does not push beyond a level where they feel comfortable and still write actual songs and not metal guitar parlor tricks.
I had to come to terms with De Profundis rather modern approach. Guitar tone and production are pretty clean and have an overdriven, scooped sound. A little character would have been nice but it is a tightrope to walk with a style like this. The upside of this is that De Profundis material is easy to decipher and that the actual performances of the band can be put front and center. I mentioned the bass performance earlier and it is probably one of the most tasteful fretless performances of the year. Every little crevice left unoccupied by the guitars is explored thoroughly by the bass and it snakes around the rest of the band in ways that are often very satisfying. Not to say the guitar work is much weaker, of course - but it shows a little more restraint, so the bass can shine. Something I am less fond of is the vocal performance which is a bit too burpy and at the same time too clean. They seem a little like an afterthought, not trying to get into the way of the instruments. But considering all that, a very distorted vocal style would have worked similarly well. Some more hooks and memorable moments would have certainly aided the band, too. But If I am being honest, the instruments are probably worth the price of admission alone.
Rating: high 6/10
Mo'ynoq - A Place for Ash
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Independent
Release Date: 23-09-2022
In reviewing it is often said the ideal way to do it is a type of "Shit Sandwich". Meaning: If you have a mostly negative review, to find positive things to say about the album and put them at the front and at the end. Thus softening the blow without needing to be dishonest about the album or holding back too much. It also helps with thinking critically about an album. Considering this preamble, you might be able to tell where this is going: One thing Mo'ynoq have going for them, divorced from the rest of the record, is the vocals. The band isn´t afraid to have them audible continually, isn´t hiding them with reverb or other effects and there is a variety to the expression that makes the material hit just a little bit harder. And yet, the material doesn´t really live up to it.
In fact, after the cool vocal only intro, Mo'ynoq become rather bog standard for black metal. Inspired from a similar pool as acts like Gaerea, with sections that recede into slower, almost post-metal sections, there is an attempt at emotional resonance and variety that is commendable. The issue is the memorability of these sections. While there is rhythmic variety and often small differences in delivery between repeats, a lot of the album boils down to the band exercising specific chord progressions in different ways. The harmony appears more static on the album than it actually is because of it and ultimately the album appears too uniform despite the band's attempts to mix it up. This is a common problem with modern BM and many people might not take issue with it. Conversely, I´d argue it is one of the key problems of modern bm. Even though the production on this album is quite nice, as it is clear and somewhat dynamic. Even if I have to add that the band's desire to have an 'uniquely humid atmosphere' doesn´t really track to add a little garnish to the shit sandwich.
Rating: 5/10
Autopsy - Morbidity Triumphant
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Peaceville Records
Release Date: 30-09-2022
I love the B-Grade. I have been championing B-Movies for forever and similarly, I have a love for those non-a-lister acts that never made it big just because they didn´t quite fit the template perfectly. And yet, you can see all of their idiosyncrasies and all the songwriting decisions are a often way more transparent. Autopsy are such an act. As one of the earliest Death Metal bands and even having some ties to THE Death Metal band, Chuck Schuldiners Death, Autopsy never made it quite as big as they should be. This is for many reasons but what I think is the main reason is how grimy and disgusting Autopsy are. Unlike many other bands, Autopsy really feels like they´re from the gutter. It is not an affect to be put on but a natural extension of the musicians. Many listeners probably interpret this as sloppiness and lack of talent - for the former this isn´t untrue. But in return, we get Death Metal that is uniquely filthy - and they were probably the first to do so.
This attitude is noticeable in all of their songwriting, as well. For example, the vocals never approach anything that is now considered a standard Death Growl. I doubt Autopsy could tell you which technique they are using when doing their vocals (and Eric and Chris are likely ruining their voice a little every time), but in return we got something filthy and strangely naturalistic. The songwriting often leans into strangely doomy territory, as inspired by Black Sabbath as they are by Death Metal - 'The Voracious One' being prime candidate for its stoner grooves that feel more like a knife stabbing in a seedy dive bar than anything related to a graveyard. In general, the rock attitude prevails subtly through every track. In an age where most old DM bands have become cleaner, more technical and more marketable, Autopsy remains anachronistic. I love that about it.
Rating: 7/10
Metalligatorrr's Additional Album Assesments
Wake - Thought Form Descent
Genre: Progressive Blackened Death Metal
Label: Independent
Release Date: 2022-06-22
Wake are an interesting band. A grindcore band morphing into something as different as a blackened death metal band is something you don't see every day. Yet even in the blackened death metal space I feel that Wake stand out because of a sense of melodicism that's different from the usual suspects of the genre. Previous album Devouring Ruin ended up on my year end list in 2020 but has since grown off me a bit. The reason for that is twofold. First, the production this band uses at their busiest moments turns everything into a blasting mush. I'm guessing this is because they want the music to sound massive but it comes at the expense of the dynamics needed in this new style they work in. Second, perhaps as a consequence of evolving form a grind band they seem to have a preference on lingering in blasting mode, using it as a black metal band would to build "atmosphere".
Repetition is a poor excuse for atmosphere, though, and Wake unfortunately repeat this mistake on Thought Form Descent. I'd even say they exacerbate it as the songs are longer across the album whereas Devouring Ruin had mid length grindcore tracks to break things up. The production seemed to get a bit better on the Confluence EP released between these two albums. I feel like I can hear that EP's influence on here as the bass is much more audible than on the last album but this isn't going far enough. As interesting as I find their style, it's DOA if it isn't allowed to breathe with proper dynamics. The point of a lot of these songs seems to be to build up to massive climaxes and when they arrive, they are powerful. Wake have done well by exploring new fields with their sound, but now I find myself wishing that they'd turn back and find a way to utilize that grind influence better. Most of these songs spend twice the amount of time needed to get where they're going. But just as with that inscrutable album cover, I'm not sure they actually DO know where they're going.
Rating: 6/10
FLOATING - The Waves Have Teeth
Genre: Progressive Death Metal/Post Punk
Label: Independent
Release Date: 2022-09-06
I regularly crawl Bancamp's best selling- and new releases-sections. Most times you come up with nothing but there are times when you stumble on something most news sites fail to pick up on because it's so fresh out of the oven that they haven't had the time (or even bothered with because the band has no media value yet). FLOATING is one such case. They are also odd in several ways - from the great pic on the album cover, to the way they mix their musical elements and the fact that they're based in Uppsala, not a city known for its metal scene.
You'd be forgiven thinking that this band plays some disso-inspired old school death metal like every dude out there and his grandma. But in the middle of opener "The Seep" there's a staggering riff that ends up wandering around drunkenly with the bass playing holding its hand. Except for the fact that it sounds like the vocalist's singing about "Fishsticks" in the chorus (can't unhear that) it's a great song. What follows reminds me equal parts of Usurpress' bluesy depression, Voices' bass driven foray into post punk and Sweven's dreamy progressive wanderings. "Gag" introduces the vocalist's birdlike screeched vocals that are unusual to hear outside of Black Metal, but one of my favorite moments of the year arrive in the following song "Pile of Birds". It starts out with a rocky post punk bass driven melody only to get interrupted by an impressively nasty dissonant riff. It has a punky swagger like you'd find in Darkthrone yet ups the death by way of contrast.
FLOATING's debut is subtle and progressive in the way that the old school bands used to do it. There's something to their style that recalls Horrendous' touch for this kind of material. The production is smooth and bass friendly yet when the deathy riffs arrive they punch appropriately. If I had one critique it's that the last song, while interesting, goes on a bit long. I expect the rough edges to be smoothed out a bit as the band keeps developing their style. This feels like a grower and joins Autosarcophagy in impressing me with their 2022 debut. Check this monstrosity out, these guys deserve fans.
Rating: high 7/10
Strigoi - Viscera
Genre: Death Doom Metal
Label: Seasons of Mist
Release Date: 2022-09-30
Gregor Mackintosh (of Paradise Lost fame) has a very distinct style and this is why I was surprised to find that Vallenfyre and "sequel" band Strigoi didn't really sound like him. These two bands have failed to impress me with their releases as they seemed content to play by-the-numbers death doom without any real distinguishing features. I can understand having a side hustle as an outlet for creativity and material that doesn't fit your main project. The heavy because heavy ethos on these past releases carry over ontoViscera but there's also a sense of the band stretching their wings a bit and that includes some Paradise Lost creeping into the sound. You wouldn't notice this at first as the first two songs are a mix of slow and fast material opening with the established sound.
But as third song "An Ocean of Blood" goes past its midpoint, there is a short solo that recalls the ones Mackintosh readily writes in Paradise Lost. These first four songs otherwise continues the trend of well executed but uneventful death doom. However, as fifth song "Hollow" starts out with another of Mackintosh's famous leads, something happens: The material somehow sounds a bit more inspired and pissed off, mixing the doom and aggression that were previously kept separate. Past this point the album starts sounding like a heavier Paradise Lost album with Mackintosh's vocals. This feels bittersweet to me as it's something I'd like to hear but in his main band where there are more tools to paint with. Regardless, Viscera is backloaded and the songs range from decent to good. What it means for this album, is that there is a 30 minute album inside this release that I'd call good, along with four songs I'd be likely to skip every time. An improvement is an improvement and despite my gripes about the slow growth of the band I'll likely revisit this to see if it grows on me. Not every artist can start out anew this late in their career and do something else than the style they've established. On this release Mackintosh proves he can do a little bit of both.
Rating: 6/10
Blárs Blurbs
KEN mode - NULL
Genre: Noise Rock / Sludge Metal / Post-hardcore
Label: Artoffact Records
Release Date: 23-9-2022
Discovering KEN mode so close to the release of their latest album, NULL, made the wait very short for me compared to longtime fans who've been writhing in suspense since 2018's Loved. What captivated me at first with KEN mode's sound was the combination of the explosive vocal delivery and pummelling aggression in their songwriting coupled with interesting production details. All of that is still present on NULL but more refined. As a big fan of the direction they took with the closer "No Gentle Art" on Loved (which is also my favourite track on that album), it's a real treat to see them continue with writing slow building and slightly lower tempo songs.
Leaving the listener with the repeated screams of "STOP GIVING ME HOPE" as a closing plea on Loved, on NULL there's absolutely no hope left. The album embodies a dystopian grey static that sends out electric shockwaves of anger, hate and debilitating depression. There's literally a crackling sound present most of the time throughout the whole duration of the album. It's especially prominent on "The Tie" which has a type of pulsating electricity co-existing with a raging monologue. I can't help but to draw parallels to Howard Shore's "Sauron's theme" from Lord of the Rings when a wailing high-pitched guitar melody enters the soundscape at around 0:58. If you look at the lyrics "A lidless eye, rose red and reeling, perceiving nothing save an endless seething", I might not be too far off about that supposed reference.
It is evident that the band has improved their ability to structure and write an album. NULL ebbs and flows between hate and hopelessness in a manner that escapes the trappings of the monotonous tempo present on previous releases. At first I thought the intensity of the vocal performance was too muted and needed a bit more punch and desperation, but after digesting the album I think the slightly quenched passion is very appropriate for the theme of the record. When the closer fades out and you're just sitting there during the last empty seconds of the track, you're left with this feeling of a grey void enveloping your whole body. There's something deeply impactful about that.
Rating: 8/10
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