This post collects the reviews posted to Instagram for the week. They cover mostly metal, but other genres might be considered. Blog exclusive reviews are featured, as well.
Scuttlegoat's Curmudgeonly Critiques
Mournful Congregation - The Exuviae of Gods: Part II
Genre: Funeral Doom
Label: 20 Buck Spin / Osmose Productions
Release Date: 26-05-2023
The album concept of releasing two connected EP's has a couple benefits but also drawbacks compared to an album. The cynical reason is that now two products can be sold, but beyond that, it enables the band to have a different workflow. For a band like Mournful Congregation, whose material is both epic in scope but meticulously crafted, it might be less exhausting and frankly more realistic to produce works like these two interconnected EP's, considering that life demands much more out of musicians than just producing their work. The challenge is that, by connecting the two EP's thematically, the same has to be done musically. Are the two EP's individual stories, or do they form a cohesive whole? These are questions that at least arise when listening to The Exuviae of Gods. The first EP in the series had been my favorite EP of the year, and I cheated just a little bit by actually accepting it as an EP, considering it broke the 30 minute barrier. It had the benefit to exist without any expectation from a previous iteration and Mournful Congregation simply doing their thing is enough for me to hand out a positive score. With this second one, I am more inclined to judge it as the conclusion to the setup.
There is noticeably less splendor to Part II. The main section of "Heads Bowed" is mainly constructed from what is, for Mournful Congregation, relatively simple counterpoint. It appears almost like the band's earlier material and surprisingly stripped down. That the song works as well as it does is a testament to Mournful Congregation's craft and for their grasp of what makes a good melody even in a tempo as glacial as this. The soundscape, just slightly sparser, still feels like a space to occupy and a melody nonetheless, showcasing how atmosphere never needs to be an excuse to present underwhelming material. I love how the acoustic and the electric guitar trade motifs, like a setup and payoff. Even if the material initially seems restrained, there is a sense of progression as the band dials up their sound to become fuller, more developed and even faster throughout each song. The melodic interplay and soloing in the last song seems like a payoff to not only the song itself, but to the EP and the whole "storyline" for lack of a better word. The whole sense of melody and progression on Part II feels more hopeful, more beautiful than what is on the first EP and it feels like the band earned it. An exuvia is the skin left behind by an insect or reptile after ecdysis. Growth requires leaving something behind and in dying, there is also rebirth. The theme of a pattern of death, growth and rebirth on a cosmic scale is very much on brand for Mournful Congregation and the two albums work wonderfully within the concept the band has set up.
Rating: 8/10
Wytch Hazel - IV: Sacrament
Genre: Traditional / Proto Metal / Hard Rock
Label: Bad Omen Records
Release Date: 02-06-2023
I will admit, part of my Wytch Hazel fandom must be that I like championing bands other cringe at sometimes. Us metalheads (myself included!) are often atheists and sometimes invested in our hatred against Christianity to an uncomfortable and unnecessary degree. Despite frontman Colin Hendra's claims, it is undeniable that Wytch Hazel is a Christian band and that Christianity is the main subject of their lyrics. Luckily, this isn't contemporary Christian music, with the overly clean, overly produced and overly safe mush that it usually entails. Wytch Hazel is inspired by the Proto Metal acts of the 80s, the early twin guitar sound and the often medieval sense of melody that comes with it. On Sacrament, their fourth outing, they open up to more traditional (and to a degree more marketable) sounds – with mixed results.
A lot of the material on Sacrament makes it seem like the band moves forward in time. A lot of this guitar work is more reminiscent of the 80s and it makes sense that the band would be inspired by it. The neverending 80s revival boom we are living in dictates a need to tour with bands that sound like the 80s and that probably leads a band like Wytch Hazel to be somewhat inspired by these acts. I don't think the pivot in sound is cynical and, in some ways, had been foreshadowed on 2020's Pentecost, where the band sounded like a version of Iron Maiden who started five years earlier. Beyond the stylistic change, which I am not into, I don't feel the songwriting is quite up to snuff. The hymnic nature of the bands earlier material made you forget that god makes you uncomfortable, feeling like a Christian warrior fighting the good fight. With the melodic framework slightly changing, the dual guitars feel like they lost a lot of their purpose and power. Melodies appear simpler, in an attempt to be even more hymnic, but actually loose that character. A lot of the medieval, ancient character is sadly lost and once again, we have a case of doubling down not on what they do best, but on what could potentially hold them back.
Rating: low 6/10
Metalligatorrr's Chomping Commentaries
Inherus - Beholden
Genre: Doom / Post Metal
Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records
Release Date: 26-5-2023
Very rarely will you hear a sound that is novel yet great at the same time. Experimentation carries significant risk, and it is understandable that some musicians rather iterate on established sounds. Inherus surprise on their debut album by melding Doom Metal and Post Rock in a way that I have not quite heard before. Beholden starts out comfortable in the current Doom landscape, recalling bands like Crypt Sermon and Pallbearer, if not for the fact that the guitars are less emphasized for their raw nature in favor of a great bass heavy sound. This is apparent in opener "Forgotten Kingdom" where a piece of Doom is interrupted by a bass breakdown and clean vocals that build for the latter two thirds of the 9:40 minute track. It is a ballsy move and makes clear the influence of guitarist/vocalist Bezaelith, that some might recognize from her other bands Forlesen and Lotus Thief. To offset her vocals, some throaty growls are added to the mix even if they are surprisingly sparse throughout the hour long album. Rounding things out is a lead guitar that often treads leads that graduated from the school of Greg Mackintosh, though never sounding dependent on the style or exactly as weepy in its expression.
But as you might notice, the elephant in the room with Beholden is some hefty song lengths and I am of two minds with how to rate the album. On the one hand, most of the songs stretch way past the point where they should end with a lot of repetitions. On the other hand, the material is strong, with great vocal hooks from Bezaelith's side as well as very compelling atmospheres built by the Post influence that the sound is dependent on. Songs like "One More Fire" and "The Dagger" have great vocal hooks that suffer the late career Iron Maiden curse of being repeated too many times. On the other hand, the former has a great Post Rock melody building for its first half and the latter has some great drum work that builds the song up with a splashing hi-hat and marching rhythms. It is a sound that yet feels raw in form and closer "Lie to the Angels" displays what happens when all of it comes together beautifully. This 13 minute behemoth somehow mixes Alice in Chains like Alternative Metal, huge and surprisingly dirty growls, battling Post Rock and Doom Metal lead guitar work, bass breakdowns and a huge crescendo with overbearing Doom Metal riffs. Beholden is an album that is easy to like and to keep coming back to. While it falls short of the emotive Progressive Doom that Slumbering Sun revealed on their debut, the crushing beauty of Mornful Congregation's new EP and Dodheimsgard's hypnotic new album, Inherus still display a great blend of elements on their debut that I hope will continue to evolve as the main songwriters learn to utilize each other's strengths better.
Rating: Low 7/10
Aodon - Portraits
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Label: Willowtip
Release Date: 09-6-2023
For some Black Metal albums you can almost do a checklist and see if you will know how it sounds instantly. Abusing the snare drum over an entire song? Check. A single tremolo riff with a few slight variations? Check. Double kick that goes on way too long and loses its effect? Check. High concept about something grim that does not come across in the least in the music? Check. A guitar tone that cuts your ears and leaves little room for the bass? Check. You get the idea, and many of you have already heard what Aodon does on Portraits many times before, probably this year. I am sad to say that this album, that has a concept about making songs about characters and using their names as the title, fails to make much of an impression even after I have listened to it 6+ times.
It is not all bad, of course. While the first half of the album has tracks that vary their pace very little and merge into one another, the latter half of the album at least tries to inject a little variety. This comes in forms of small breaks to calm before hitting with the same bag of tricks again, using volume as contrast without any finesse to it. But most of the songs have a backing guitar that at times have a kind of theatrical silent movie soundtrack vibe to them. Some riffs also take on a Post Metal feel to them in how the lead guitar ups the tension. The best two songs here, "Andreas" and "Inaki", let the bass breathe and varies the pace with the drums while actually developing their main riffs into something that is worth listening to. But it is too little to late and try as I might, I find very little of this material memorable. It is possible that Black Metal fans will find something of value here, like Death Metal fans enjoy the monthly "meat and potatoes" albums that serve as appetizers before the great albums. But most likely Portraits will fade from memory before long, as it already has just as I am finishing up my seventh spin.
Rating: 5/10
Pupil Slicer - Blossom
Genre: Mathcore / Post Hardcore
Release Date: 02-6-2023
Label: Prosthetic Records
Pupil Slicer's debut, Mirrors, was a jagged burst of Grinding Mathcore (complemented with tastefully picked Electronica influences) that caught my ear for its neurotic character. The songs were unpredictable, intense and creative in a way that I loved and it landed near the top of my year end list in 2021. Come 23, my expectations for a follow-up are unfortunately high for more of the same ilk. Blossom is not Mirrors, that much is clear, and it has taken me a few spins to wash away the stark disappointment from hearing the title track when they released it as a single. Rather, this sophomore album sees the band trying to expand their sound with added elements of Pop and Post Hardcore, perhaps because of not being content with people telling them they sound like The Dillinger Escape Plan or like a collection of Mathcore tropes (untrue and unfair respectively, although I am not the best judge of the latter). Mirrors was not great because of its style, but rather because of its varied songwriting. Blossom does its own thing and taken by itself, it is competent and sure to win them more fans than the debut because of its nature.
The experiments Pupil Slicer execute on these songs are successful to a varying degree. Some ideas on the first tracks are good, like the clean vocal refrains offset with pounding intensity of the drums that keep the songs cohesive, tempo shifts and HM2-worshipping groove and Kate Davies' increased variety in her vocals (with some deeper growls than before). The production is less cutting than on Mirrors and this is a given with the warmer Post Hardcore riffs added to the mix. But the building blocks do not come together cohesively until "Creating the Devil in Our Image", where the Post Hardcore, Pop and their previous style of Mathcore freakouts start to gel with a clean vocal moment that complements the song's intensity well. This song, along with "Terminal Lucidity" and "Blossom" showcase how powerful the combination of these elements can be when done right. My main complaint with this release becomes apparent here. I have no qualms about listening to a more varied and Pop infused Pupil Slicer. But the recent interview they did on Bandcamp suggests that one band-member wants to pull the sound more towards Poppy concept albums and the other wants the Mathcore to remain intense. They are both right but Blossom is not it, they are pulling the seams apart on their sound yet what is to be found within is not coming through properly. As a life-long Nine Inch Nails fan, the interlude "Language of the Stars" piano feels eerily familiar and Davies' claimed love for The Downward Spiral intrigues me. "Dim Morning Light" then follows with a Shoegaze like influence that falls flat and kills momentum before the closer. Blossom follows this NIN approach of being expansive but stands on shaking legs when it comes to making all of its parts as compelling as the other. The album (and the song) is a grower yet feels like something of a transitional work. I wish I could like it more but I think a look back at what made Mirrors work could be good for the future, as I find this album less unique than the debut in expression, not more.
Rating: High 6/10
Cosmo's Chaotic Curveballs
Burial Hordes - Ruins
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Release Date: 09-06-23
Like a storm blowing forth from the underground, Burial Hordes' fifth album (and first on Transcending Obscurity) spews filthy Blackened Death Metal that crushes the listener under its weight and washes away what little remains. A veteran of the Greek metal scene, this band has been kicking around since the early 2000s, but have languished in relative obscurity since their beginning. I have not given their back catalog a deep dive before listening to this album, but I'm going to explore the best I can, because Ruins is a very solid release.
This music is quite dense. Pummeling riffs and furious blast beats permeate the atmosphere here, and while the band sometimes lets up the assault with more subdued mid-paced passages, the majority of this release is spent barraging the listener as much as possible. Highlights include early hit "Insubstantial", which has an opening riff straight out of Demigod-era Behemoth, and "A Wandering Stream of Wind", which is the slowest cut on the album, yet its funereal presence and heft demonstrates that this band can just as easily slide into a more sedated pace as well as their typical fast-paced assault. Burial Hordes certainly pay homage to their aforementioned influences throughout the album, as in almost every song the listener will hear hints of Dead Congregation, Incantation, and in some points like "Purgation" other acts such as Grave Miasma. While I do appreciate this suffocating blend of Blackened Death Metal, there is room for improvement. "Isotropic Eradication" is the weakest link on this album, and is a somewhat forgettable song between "Infinite Sea of Nothingness" and "Purgation", which are two of the album's stronger tracks. Filler aside, I can wholeheartedly recommend this album as one that fans of this style of dense Death Metal will enjoy. It's one I find myself coming back to often, and I'm interested to see where this band goes next, especially on such a well-regarded label.
Rating: 7/10
Kostnatěnà - Úpal
Genre: Dissonant Black Metal
Label: Willowtip Records
Release Date: 26-05-23
When a band from an underground label signs on with a bigger label in the metal scene, there are usually concerns that the music produced on this bigger label will be attempts at making it more accessible to a wider audience. Sometimes these concerns are realized (Bewitcher) and other times these concerns are unfounded (Imperial Triumphant). In any case, the latter is the situation with KostnatÄ›nÃ. Never ones to comfortably play one specific blend of twisting, dissonant Black Metal, they migrated from Mystiskaos (which thankfully did not go under, as many in the scene were fearing) to the much bigger Willowtip Records. Can sophomore album Úpal deliver what people have come to expect, or is this yet another case of the dreaded Sophomore Slump?
Right off the bat, it's clear that KostnatÄ›nà have expanded on the efforts of their previous EP Oheň hořà tam, kde padl, which centered around Turkish folk music filtered through a blackened lens. Úpal takes this and instead of Turkish folk songs, delivers seven sun-bleached tracks focusing on heat and the human psyche. All of these compositions tastefully add in desert and at times almost Spaghetti Western themes starting with opener "Řemen". The album becomes more of a twisting, spiraling descent into chaos immediately afterwards. Many more interesting moments pop up throughout, such as the almost monastic feel of "Opál", the guitar freakouts on "Skrýt se pÅ™ed Bohem", and the almost second wave furiosity of closing track "Slunce svázáno s krvácejÃcà ZemÃ". All told, this album is both your summer jam and a bout of heat stroke induced psychosis combined in one. It's not for everyone, but those who crave the more inaccessible side of their Black Metal will love this. A sophomore effort that defies the Slump, I will be eagerly watching where this promising act goes next. Who knows, they might expand to even more world music themes on the next release.
Rating: 7/10