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
drumcorps - Creatures
Genre: Breakcore / Drum and Bass / Mathcore
Label: Independent
Release Date: 7-10-2022
As life is turning more chaotic and hurtful for me again, I feel some comfort in something that embraces chaos. That has a kind of nihilism but also humor to the way it is constructed. Breakcore can be that genre. Nothing makes sense as you are confronted with a barrage of samples, noise and rhythm so chopped and fragmented that they can become indecipherable. It is an approach to making music that embraces chaos and deconstruction as its primary doctrine. drumcorps (the lowercase spelling being intentional) is on the more broi-sh end of the spectrum with a clear interest in both Metalcore and Drum and bass.
Yet, the element of barely controlled chaos which I crave is present in Creatures. The album conceptually embraces de- and reconstruction of society with a kinder world recycled from its parts. A noisy chiptune element permeates the record and for a Breakcore album, we get surprisingly little of the amen break. Creatures approaches an Industrial Mathcore sound, just imbued with the usual confrontational attitude that is typical of Breakcore. While the material is rhythmically and stylistically diverse enough to entertain throughout its short runtime, the EP still does feel more like a collection of tracks than an album. Most tracks on Creatures are short and fragmented, which I appreciate in this style in particular. However, it ends on an Industrial and Chiptune inspired Noise collage that accounts for a third of the album alone. Nothing on the album primes you for it, and while it makes sense on a conceptual level - especially considering the track is called "1bit", hinting at the biggest level of deconstruction possible - it does not regarding pace or style. Breakcore can easily be entertaining in the moment, but it is hard for it to stick the landing and become replayble - a balance that Creatures does not quite manage, either.
Rating: 6/10
Kanonenfieber - Der Füsilier
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Label: Noisebringer
Release Date: 19-11-2022
Kanonenfieber's 2021 release Menschenmühle had been a surprise hit and, for the most part, deserved all the praise that it got. There is a hunger for the type of metal that deals with war in an honest and emotional way without turning into an outright mopefest and without gloryfying it at the same time. The same year, 1914 would deliver a very disappointing outing, seemingly seduced by a bigger budget and the chance for more widespread appeal. Kanonenfieber seems to have gone into the other direction, as their material has actually become simpler on the EP's and more Black Metal leaning. Ironically, both bands have kind of lost me for that very reason.
Der Füsilier deals with an interesting story, at least and shows similar qualities that had made Menschenmühle an enjoyable listen. The use of historical samples still provides a nice contrast for the more textural and less rhythmic sections of the songs and also imbues it with a certain historical flavor. I unfortunately keep noticing that on these newer EP's, Kanonenfieber are at their worst whenever they do Death Metal. I could chalk this up to a me-issue, as I want Death Metal from this project and not what it is giving me. But the Death Metal is still an undeniable part of the music. Kanonenfieber gets closer to the artists other project, Leipa, on this EP and I think that they shouldn't. Maybe war is just on the artists mind, considering what is going on in the Ukraine. It could be good to reevaluate what each project has set out to do and maybe differentiate them. As of now, Kanonenfieber is not quite giving me what I want anymore.
Rating: 5/10
Tchornobog / Abyssal - Split
Genre: Death / Doom Metal / Avantgarde
Label: Lupus Lounge
Release Date: 25-11-2022
In what can be broadly called "Atmospheric Death Metal", there are not many actors. Because of that, a split of the genres most prominent bands was probably unavoidable. Despite the superficial similarities in sound between the bands, the approach is still very different though. This is showcased on the split very well: Tchornobog's track, "The Vomiting Choir", shows a more experimental and progressive interpretation of the style. The material is relatively concrete, even when it moves into headier territory like the extended atmospheric section, most of which is in 5/8. While the other usual trademarks of Tchorno's sound are also present, like the odd sampling often buried behind the track proper and the colossal track length, I also feel this is the most Death Metal focused release Tchornobog have put out.
Abyssal, somewhat ironically considering what this microgenre is often called, is the more atmospheric of the two. "Antechamber of the Wakeless Mind" is pretty typical for the Abyssal sound. The band is still very much interested in forming texture through their often very straightforward riffage. I have never noticed how trebly their guitar tone is, but it really pops in comparison to the more earthy sounds of Tchornobog. This illustrates the differences between the bands further: Similarly to what is presented on the album cover, Tchornobog presents a mountainous energy, standing monolithic. Abyssal is like the vortex on the cover: Swirling, ethereal and harder to grasp. Minor quibbles hamper but don't ruin the experience: "Vomiting Choir" remains on its 5/8 section maybe a tad too long after being so adventurous in the first half and "Antechamber" has an issue in the drum production where a lot of the drum fills seem to clip. But in the end, both interpretations of Death Metal are as worthwhile as they are unique.
Rating: 7/10
Metalligatorrr's Additional Album Assesments
Amayeta - Dismal
Genre: Progressive Metal, Death/Doom Metal
Label: Independent
Release Date: 31-10-2022
I have listened to a lot of flawed albums this year, some that I have given very low scores to because the flaws cripple what could be good albums. This is not one of them, but rather an album that feels like it lives in the category reserved for the score rather than an imperfect visitor. Aptly named, Dismal has a handful of good ideas and bucketfuls of bad ones. Let's focus on the good first: some of the riffs can be interesting and show a love for Progressive Death Metal bands and also the kind of Melodic Death Doom made popular by bands like Swallow the Sun. The vocalist doing the harsh vocals pulls of a decent growl and there are times where contrast is used well when the music suddenly grows intense. Production wise it sounds soft and the bass is given room to breathe. Some of the bass lines appeal when they can be heard. And that's that. Ready for the bad news?
The first thing you are greeted with when putting Dismal on is a spoken word intro about someone finding their true love, when it's too late. The melodic side of the Death/Doom genre is often hard to pull off well because if anything sounds cheesy, forced or false in the least it will give off a different impression than intended: at best melodramatic, at its worst humorous. This intro track falls on the annoyingly melodramatic side. Meanwhile, the first track proper wastes time with atmospherics before hitting you with some truly awful and out of tune clean vocals, making sure that the album starts off on the worst foot possible. Making things even worse, the guitars most often rely on uninteresting chugging riffs and they sound like they are in a key that makes the music sound happy - a contrast that clashes so hard that I can't help but laugh. Lyrics, when I can hear them properly, sound like sad Doom lyrics 101. The album carries on with these elements and somehow never manages to sound cohesive because very few of the ideas mesh with each other. There's always a feeling that something sounds off and for every neat idea or good section, there is another that ruins it. "Viridian Forest" is probably the best track here, instrumentally, as it features some interesting bouncing bass work while a cleaner sounding guitar plays over it. On the back half of the album Amayeta start sounding a bit more competent as the music shifts focus to the heavier sections in the songs. But this brings me to the final nail in the coffin, the title track finishes off the album at 18 minutes, making the whole 80 minutes long. That is a LOT of time to spend on repetitive chugging riffs and awful vocals. I would rather spend my time on something else.
Rating: 3/10
Lykotonon - Promethean Pathology
Genre: Industrial Black Metal
Label: Profound Lore Records
Release Date: 25-11-2022
A danceable beat fades in at the start of Promethean Pathology and yet it is quickly interrupted by Black Metal with the epic sounding guitar leads you would find in Wayfarer's music, which is proper as this band shares members between (mostly) Wayfarer and Blood incantation. They already have my attention as what I'm used to hearing from Metal with Industrial influences trend towards the noise aspects, not Lykotonon's tendency to pull from the danceable grooves from bands like Front Line Assembly. It makes for an interesting contrast that is wholly welcome, especially as they use the bass to its fullest in moments where they build up this influence. The music errs on the Black Metal side of things, though, and with that comes an interesting pitfall in the use of repetition. Industrial lives in repetition, using slow builds to gradually shift the impression the song makes while adding layers upon layers. Black Metal fares much worse in this regard as what could be a striking burst of rawness often has its impact dulled by overstaying its welcome. There are times where Lykotonon get lost in building songs up, like in instrumental song "The Primal Principle" which ends up sounding unfinished. But I find that they keep well on track most of the time.
Take "Psychosocratic" for instance, the song builds from a solemn Wayfarer lead into club music with pounding drums and then into frenetic Black Metal without missing a step. It shows the potential Lykotonon have going for them. Other notable ideas includes a slam section that leads into a creepy lead with chanted vocals like you would find in Esoctrilihum in "That Which Stares in Kind", some moody atmospheric sections with a great sounding bass build mid song in "Wrested From Solace" and the techno interlude that is "Apeiron". The music is dynamic at all times, something I suspect is a choice based on having a lot of electronic elements in here. Despite the small missteps, the more I listen to the album the more I find things to like about it as Lykotonon have crafted something odd yet cohesive. Much like its uneasy and erotically charged album cover, Promethean Pathology is like walking in on a scene in a dark back room at a party. Black Metal has invaded the club, now there will be frost on the dance floor.
Rating: High 7/10
Eldritch Abbot's Egregious Evaluations
Spell - Tragic Magic
Genre: Heavy Metal / Hard Rock
Label: Bad Omen Records
Release Date: 28-10-2022
Canadian two-man group Spell play a mixture of Classic- and Prog Metal with Hard Rock elements, which is something that should theoretically appeal to me. While I really want to like it, the vocals prevent me from doing so. Goat Destrvctör himself commented that "..instrumentally they kinda slap". I could not agree more - Lead vocalist Cam Mesmer shows some unusual diversity. There are elements of a deeper vocal delivery (most pronounced in "Soul in Chains") that sounds much better than the otherwise fairly "prog 101" vocals that Tragic Magic has.
Which is a shame, because damn. The instrumental performances of the whole thing are really good. The guitar, bass and drums play together in a way that gives me pleasant NWOBHM vibes without just sounding like a ripoff. It sounds dynamic without going fully into Progressive Metal. I want to listen to more of this style because it reminds me of bands like Demon, Diamond Head or Blitzkrieg. Really impressive work. Tragic Magic hosts many guests who handle synths, guitars and piano very well, including fabulous guest vocals by Rachel Layne. The problem returning is the chosen primary vocal style, which keeps throwing me off as stereotypical Prog vocals. It reminds me why I don't like classic Prog acts like Yes. If you are into that, be sure to check this out. It could be perfect for you. For my part, If I could get an instrumental version of this album, I would buy it. As it stands, however, I have to hear Cam Mesmer more often than I want to.
Rating: 5/10
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