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
Mithridatum - Harrowing
Genre: Dissonant / Avantgarde Death Metal
Label: Willowtip Records
Release Date: 03-02-2023
I go into Mithridatum with conflicting expectations. On one hand, Mithridatum consists of ex-members of The Faceless, that once immensely popular technical Deathcore group whose main creative writer at some point sold the equipment of the rest of the band to fund his heroin addiction - if I remember the story correctly. I never was as obsessed with The Faceless as others, but there isn't much other worthwhile stuff to find in the technical Deathcore realm, either. Mithridatum could lean into it, being the version of The Faceless for the real fans and without the abuser. However, the promo text tells me that Mithridatum play the now dreaded dissonant Death Metal. Will this end up being an endless barrage of broken, dissonant chords without much interest or will we find Technical Virtuosity broken up by the occasional chug?
Unfortunately, we find the former. Mithridatum play the most by the numbers version of the dissonant sound that you could imagine. The band selects a chord, often containing dissonances tied over each other or open strings, and then ruminates on that chord until they choose another. Stronger moments on the album see the band use this approach in some rhythmic way, where the way the broken chord is approached almost becomes a riff but they never quite pull it off. Initially, I was pleased by the bright, almost crystalline guitar tone and the production that makes everything so clear and audible. Frankly, the album almost appears more as a Black Metal than a Death Metal album. Unfortunately, the production can't really save an album that is fundamentally too uniform for its own good. I don't know if this is the musicians hopping on a trend and trying to make up for (frankly unjustly) lost time, but sacrificing what made their art unique in the first place is never the best choice.
Rating: 5/10
Abyssal Worm - Kingdom of Decadence
Genre: Death Metal / Grindcore
Label: Independent
Release Date: 13-01-2023
It took me a while to get a grasp on Abyssal Worm. Not because the album by itself is particularly obtuse or because there was much to figure out about it. But because it was released solely on bandcamp and the horribly unstable mobile app made the album crash again and again, meaning I had no real way of judging the albums pace in any way. Or EP, rather, as Kingdom of Decadence is only around 12 minutes. In my frustration, I shilled out the 2€ to purchase it and dowloaded the files in pristine FLAC condition. Luckily, Abyssal Worm's debut EP was not a waste of money.
Abyssal Worm are a Deathgrind band, but the intensity and constantly pummeling approach make me tempted to slot them into the War Metal movement, as well. The band certainly has the characteristics, especially in how their constant aggression produces a hard to pierce texture. However, the band is surprisingly tight and focused for a band that aims to fire out of all cylinders with such consistency. A highlight is the Pete Sandoval inspired drumming that always seems to find some empty space to interject the material with some creative cymbal play. Abyssal Worm are one note, but it is an enjoyable note and ultimately twelve minutes well spent.
Rating: 7/10
Metalligatorrr's Chomping Commentaries
Riverside - ID.Entity
Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: InsideOut Music
Release Date: 20-1-2023
Riverside are releasing their eight album and in doing so they make a slight return to the style they used to play in around the start of the 10s, meaning Progressive Rock with some Metal mixed in there for contrast. "I'm Done with You" showcases this pretty well by sounding like it comes straight from Anno Domini High Definition. But the sound on ID.Entity (I can hardly write that with a straight face) is softer than that album and takes its inspiration from 80s Prog. This is a sound I do not mind as the interplay between the bass and synth on this album are the parts where it shines. Similarly, when the album goes quiet in its more candid moments and lets piano driven melodies take the stage, the subtle touch of their new sound works. However, it is particularly noticeable to me that Riverside do not seem intent on repeating their earlier style too much as the contrasts previously provided by Metal are few and far between on this album. The 80s sound, as fun as I find it, also tends to clash with the band's self-serious style. A huge problem that rears its head on this album is that a lot of the material spends time in 4/4 and feels linear and directionless. It is perhaps intentionally left simple to leave room for the vocals to stand out.
And boy, do they stand out in the worst of ways. Never-mind that the tone and the lyrics sound like a string of edgy twitter posts, Mariusz Duda has one of the worst vocal cadences I have heard even among non-native English speakers. The lyrics rail against topics that are very "Contemporary Problems 101" while missing a lot of the subtle details of real life and ends up sounding about as condescending as their intended targets. 13 minute "The Place Where I Belong" is especially bad as music that occasionally has the bounce of a Rainbow song features confrontative lyrics aimed at self-help gurus and boot-strap politics instead of being about flying wizards. It reeks so much of cheap sarcasm that I half expect them to want to sell me some volcanic ash soap (if you don't get this joke you might want to check out this very obscure artist called Steven Wilson). When I reach "I'm Done with You" and still trying to enjoy one of the "heavier" songs I instead find myself focusing on the vocals proclaiming that I'm not the boss of the seemingly 15 year old singer in a 40 year old man's body. All the edges have been sanded off the band's sound to leave something shallow in its place and it is to be stressed how much the lyrics and vocal cadence contribute to the score below. I find myself thinking that if you want an exploration of the human ID you should simply listen to Chat Pile, and if you want some takes-no-sides Alternative Rock with a Metallic bite just listen to the latest Impure Wilhelmina. Whichever way you go it will not be as forgettable as ID.Entity.
Rating: 4/10
ÃŽntristare - Vestiges, Three
Genre: Depressive Black Metal, Ambient, Deathcore
Label: Independent
Release Date: 12-1-2023
What makes a combination of elements meld into something coherent? It is not always so simple to answer this question. When ÃŽntristare released Vestiges II in 2019 I was captivated by its cryptic mix of Ambient, samples, Blackened Death Metal bursts and slight Noise/Industrial elements. You can often not know what is behind a piece of music but I felt there was some kind of intent behind this work and even if most would not agree with me, I found it good. The follow up will surely be intriguing, I thought and then forgot about the band (so hard that I completely missed an album between Vestiges 2 and 3). In drops a notification that ÃŽntristare are releaseing Vestiges, Three and putting it on I am met by a 7 minute long Deathcore breakdown. The Ambient parts are intact as well as the longer sections of samples and across the album you will also find some weird vocals that sound like slower parts of a Death Grips song ("1833"), some Metalcore ("Bloom"), a karaoke sample cover of an Elvis Presley song ("Can't Help Falling in Love") and a Death Metal....interlude ("AGLA").
Vestiges, Three comes off as a demo of scattered ideas that in no way seems to have the same work behind it. The reading of the story in Vestiges II feels like it has been followed up by someone reading scattered words from a dictionary and has thus lost the plot completely. Seeing as this is the artist's last work under this project I am left a bit confused and disappointed, but maybe there was simply no more story to tell. What is here is unfortunately not worth hearing but I wish this artist well in whatever he chooses to do next. Most Black Metal bands think they can create an air of unease, darkness and fear by shrieking in a can on the other side of a hallway and hiding their instrumentation behind layers of maraca static. ÃŽntristare at least captivated me for one album.
Rating: 2/10
A double review by Cosmo & Eldritch Abbot:
Cosmo's Chaotic Curveballs
Alyiria - Heiress
Genre: Symphonic / Progressive Death Metal
Label: Independent
Release Date: 13-01-23
Let me get this out of the way: I am normally not a fan of overtly Symphonic Metal. That being said, when done correctly, Symphonic Death Metal can be amazing. Hell, Agony by Fleshgod Apocalypse is in my top 10 albums of all time. It has heft and it’s not overly cheesy. I went into Alyiria with an open mind, hoping that it would be a hit for me. I was wrong. Alyiria plays a blend of Progressive and Symphonic Metal with slight Death Metal influences thrown in the mix, namely the vocal styles, which range from Metalcore to these guys (and gal) doing their best Strnad impressions.
Unfortunately, none of it is mixed very well. The vocals are pushed ahead of the instruments, making this album vocal-driven when I’m not sure that was the intention in the first place. The guitar is where this album shines, bringing a mix of wank-filled technicality one can expect from Progressive Metal. Normally, it would be a fairly average affair, but the different vocal techniques utilized on the rest of the album and particularly the last track plummet it for me. Starting off a 12 minute track with dual whispered spoken word vocals and adding in a few musical theatre moments throughout is a recipe for a sloppy mess. If they removed both of those bits from the song it could definitely be a good finish to an otherwise too long album. Overall, I think Alyiria has potential, but this debut definitely ain't it.
Rating: 3/10
Eldritch Abbot of the Celestial Sea
Eldritch Abbot's take on Alyiria's Heiress:
I first encountered Alyiria due to one of my colleagues at this fine site hating on it. I don't agree, but I think that is mostly down to our different takes on Symphonic Death Metal. I happen to like the genre and this record while in no ways flawless, did some things really well in my opinion.
First my criticisms: As an album, Heiress feels a bit too long overall. Some of the male cleans could be better as well and some of the tracks lack direction. One thing I do really like about Heiress is that I can feel the passion behind it. Even in the not quite spotless male cleans. These Brazilians really wanted to make a Symphonic Death Metal album with all of the theatrics involved in that genre. When the female vocalist does spoken word sections, I am pleasantly reminded of discovering Extreme Metal (Cradle of Filth with similar female spoken word parts). Especially a track like "Lunar Insight" gets under my skin. I have cooled a tiny bit since hearing the album for the first time, but I will definitely be returning to this album.
Rating: 7/10
As is tradition on The Goat Review, every January Scuttlegoat commits to listening to every album with the Slam tag released to Bandcamp during the month. This tradition has been going for one (1) year.
Aquaphilia - Celestial Cesspool
Genre: Goregrind
Release Date: 15-01-2023
The Gore Grinder YouTube channel has been quite a bit of help in this project. Navigating the jungles of bandcamp, ripe with bad tagging and albums being hidden on the pages of microlabels which have never made a sale, is neither easy nor satisfying. Often, when I can't find an album, I do a quick check if it is on Gore Grinder. And in this case, there it was. Aquaphilia bills itself as Goregrind/Death Metal but has very little in the way of Death Metal inspired riffage. Boring punk riffs, d-beats and downpitched toilet bowl vocals make it an unengaging affair. An album like this either needs to groove absurdly hard to function or have something to satisfy an itch for cringe comedy. Celestial Cesspool does not have either.
Rating: 4/10
Helminthemesis - Fatal Cardiac Arrhythmia After Repeated Exposure to 1,1-Difluoroethane (DFE)
Genre: Goregrind
Release Date: 01-01-2023
On some level, I can understand the attraction to something that just sounds noisy and from the gutter. The constant hammering on the eardrums can be cathartic, and when the tension eases, we feel relief. If the 22 minutes that Helminthemesis are using to torture our eardrums are necessary is a different question, though. I will give them that, unlike the acts that likely inspired them, Helminthemesis occasionally do slow down and show something that a listener could understand as a riff or a rhythm or even as a distinguishable section. Unfortunately, it still is a chore and not something I would ever return to.
Rating: 4/10
Calloused Hands - Hopeless
Genre: Beatdown / Deathcore
Release Date: 14-01-2023
The most interesting thing about Hopeless is that I know I have seen the album cover, which is obviously repurposed from a different image, before, but I can't place where it is from. The album is very typical, otherwise. Scene-y Deathcore with a heavy beatdown influence and those kind of hasty, annoying high pitched talking vocals. The album would likely be stronger if it had a different vocal style, more variety and if it was shorter - but that is about what I expect from this project by now.
Rating: 4/10
Antiseptic - Triclosan
Genre: Grindcore
Release Date: 19-01-2023
Opening and ending with the Mr. Clean Theme, Triclosan is an ironic take on the usual obsessions of Grindcore: What is usually filth, death and disease is now nice hygiene products, disinfectant and a nice day at the spa. Unfortunately, that is where the subversion ends, as Antiseptic do what everyone else does otherwise.
Rating: 4/10
Misandristic Mutilation - Epoch of Matriarchal Mass Extermination
Genre: Brutal Death Metal
Release Date: 20-01-2023
More lyrical gimmicks: The lyrical subversion is here that, contrary to the often becried "misogyny" in Slam lyrics, here it is men that are being hated, murdered, raped, torn to pieces. I can't quite tell if this is a criticism of misandry or a criticism of Brutal Death Metal lyrics and I didn't feel inclined to dig much deeper on it, as the material is so uniformly paced and written that the album became a huge chore almost immediately. As so often: If you need a gimmick, your album probably isn't good in the first place.
Rating: 4/10
Tactosa - Exit Wounds (EP)
Genre: Deathcore
Release Date: 12-01-2023
In their bandcamp blurb, Tactosa say that their aim is to bring Deathcore back to how it was many many years ago, before the scene took it and turned it into a unified soup of marketability. They certainly succeed, as Exit Wounds is suitably barbaric and has the classic tough guy attitude. Funny thing: I probably would have hated this in the late 2000s, but now, it almost feels like a comfortable nostalgia blanket. In context, classic Deathcore doesn't seem so bad anymore.
Rating: 5/10