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. Furthermore, this post contains blog-exclusive reviews of recent albums by other members of the site.
Maul - Seraphic Punishment
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Redefining Darkness
Maul is another Death Metal band that is making waves in the underground. It seems that, in the general consciousness of metalheads, each month has another Death Metal band knocking it out of the park. Maul´s last EP, 'Monarchy of Mold', was indeed enjoyable - a slab of Death Metal of the Cavemanish kind, Maul were one of these bands that took DM back to the basics and even further into a troglodytic past that never really existed. Maul´s particular brand of primitivism achieved its, excuse me the pun, Mauling with a heavy dose of hardcore. A good choice - Mosh riffs are what we are after in this style of Death Metal after all. Furthermore, 'Mold' was certainly also helped by its 16 minute runtime. Because if you don´t have many ideas, it is often the best choice to be honest and keep it short.
As my opening paragraph might suggest, I don´t necessarily think Maul are more deserving of the accolades they´ve acquired in the underground than many of the similar acts that I encounter each month. I still enjoy the honesty with which they imbue their Death Metal with hardcore, without the pretense that this is anything but a dumb mosh riff but. Maul simply do not have enough to say to fill the 36 minute runtime. Why the band also felt the need to include an interlude is beyond me (Sanguisugabogg did it!). What prevents this album from being even a guilty pleasure, however, is the production. I generally enjoy my Caveman Shit to sound more brutish and maybe a little swampy, but 'Seraphic Punishment' is awfully clean. This isn´t material that demands clarity in the slightest, so if the clean production was a conscious choice, I will call it a bad choice. In the end, Maul is yet another DM band that we will likely soon abandon for the next flavor of the month and if they want to have staying power, they need to find something unique about them.
Rating: 5/10.
Teethgrinder - Dystopia
Genre: Grindcore / Death Metal
Label: lifeforce Records
The embarassment of Grindcore riches continue and we got yet another solid release on our hand. Teethgrinder have always served up workmanlike Deathgrind of relatively high quality, and this one is no exception. Similarly to a band like, say, Misery Index, Teethgrinder are sort of Babies First Deathgrind act. Song are (for the genre) relatively strructured and straightforward and never become riffs or sections too chaotic to be decipherable. Even the vocals are very decipherable and the main goals for Teethgrinder seem to be simplicity and groove. Unlike MIsery Index, however, Teethgrinder entertain me for the whole runtime of the album.
I suppose that the difference is that, even if just slightly, Teethgrinder do attempt to have an atmosphere to their songs. A little more action on the high strings goes a long way and interjections of simple minor arpeggios in tied notes as in 'Birthed in Suffering' go a long way. Teethgrinder also manage to never be too predictable, which is an imminent risk with material that is so simple and stays within the same energy level. Teethgrinder really need nothing more than that, which makes it a shame that the band opens with an unnecessary spoken word intro of 4 minutes and overcommits to their 8 minute finisher. Trimming the fat is really of the utmost importance with material like this. Ultimately, this is but a small failing and if you still are hungry for some grinding, give Teethgrinder a go.
Rating: 6/10
Critical Defiance - No Life Forms
Genre: Thrash Metal
Label: Independent
Thrash Metal, in it´s original form, died in 1993. It was just impossible to say anything new in Thrash at that point, and I frankly never quite bemourned most bands who did something different from then on - maybe with exception of the black album, which did immeasurable damage. However, during the Thrash Revival of the 2010s, some bands actually did manage to find new approaches and surpass the pure memberberry approach that a lot of other bands were doing. If Critical Defiance are one of them, I frankly can´t really say - ultimately, Critical Defiance are thrash through and through, even if they do it with a little bit more joy and energy.
Sound wise, Critical Defiance aim for a mostly teutonic sound - many bands from South and Central america dabbling in thrash seem to be enamored with that exact sound, so it makes sense. The songs are rough around the edges, but tight, and generally rather short. Thus, the album clocks in at a tight 29 minutes, already not falling into the usual traps of a lot of throwback acts. What I like about Critical Defiance is that, despite their rough demeanor, there is an amount of technicality and even melody here that not many other bands from that scene can match. This dials up the intensity in a way where I can often forget how derivative the material is. In the end, Critical Defiance made some smart choices in an overdone genre and sometimes, thats all you need.
Rating: 6/10.
Metalligator´s Additional Album Assesments
Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy
Genre: Avantgarde Black/Death Metal Label: Century Media
All the usual elements of an Imperial Triumphant release can be found on Spirit of Ecstasy. The band still aren't hammering down a concrete formula. But this new release sees them putting their death metal foot forward. While one could cynically call this album Jazzbyssal Gods this deliberate choice shows how much IT have developed since their sophomore album. It makes me tempted to call it Imperial Triumphant's most accessible album but there is definitely some murk and chaos on here that makes the avant-garde tag appropriate.
Where I think this album shines is in its old elements used in new ways. There's a continued inspiration from old film score sentimentality that's increasingly mixed with samples and a psychedelic atmosphere. A stretch of almost two jazzy instrumental tracks that devolve into nightmare soundscapes are sure to challenge regular fans of death metal. These atmospheres permeate songs like "Tower of Glory, City of Shame" and culminates in the weirdness of a track that is "Bezumnaya". In between and around are surprisingly riffy songs that include guest appearances by Voivod's vocalist Snake and by Kenny G. The Jazz musician's cheery saxophone playing fits Imperial Triumphant's grand yet terrible style surprisingly well, ironic or not.
I come away from Spirit of Ecstasy thinking that if you liked Abyssal Gods you will love this album. While it may not reach the heights of Alphaville or especially Vile Luxury, it's still a great album that's destined to end up on year-end-lists. The gradient between the Abyssal Gods death and the Vile Luxury murk present here reminds me how lucky we are to have this band. They continue pushing boundaries like it's second nature. HAIL THE FUTURE.
Rating: 8/10
Note: Panzerfaust have made some very questionable postings on social media these recent weeks. We feel it important to state that no one on the side condones or shares their sentiment. Decide for yourself if Panzerfaust are still a band worth supporting, even if the score would suggest otherwise.
Panzerfaust - The Suns of Perdition - Chapter III: The Astral Drain
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Label: Eisenwald
Panzerfaust turned heads in 2020 by releasing an album that was a potent take on atmospheric black metal. Though I found it to be overrated, the mix of Goliath's massive vocals coupled with the atmospheric builds and philosophically minded lyrics stood out. Albeit if the lyrics at times had the subtlety of a 15 year old picking up Nietzsche for the first time. Come 2022 and Panzerfaust now decide to double down on the atmospheric parts of their sound and....unfortunately fail completely to produce anything worth hearing.
Do you like those 2 minute mood building tracks that start slow and then explode into the first song proper? No? Well Panzerfaust decided to stretch that concept into a full 10 minute track to lead into the album. Not satisfied there they stretched this concept across the entire album not neglecting to add four interludes that add even less. One might argue that they're executing a sound that harkens to bands like Mgla and Gaerea, trying to have a static overall song while changing up details here and there. As I'm not a fan of this approach I have a hard time judging if a fan of the style would see this attempt as successful.
.
What I hear instead are songs that would fit an EP stretched into a full 47 minute album. It's as painful to sit through as a bad funeral doom album. While there are tempo changes here and there I'd be wrong to call these variety and it's hard to parse why. The uniformity of their sound? The production? What I do know is that I don't want to sit through this one again to find out. The end of the album speeds up somewhat but carries most of the same problems as before. It's tempting to explain this away by calling the album a hypnotic build to its final moments but a well executed Schammasch-album this band is not. Panzerfaust are a band with potential and playing chops, that much they've proven before. Now they just have to grow into better songwriters. College philosophy or not.
Rating: 4/10
Gigantic Fucking Poser´s Barely Coherent Blurbs
Oceans of Slumvber - Starlight and Ash
Genre: Progressive Ghothic Awesomeness
Label: Century Media
I loved Oceans of Slumber, like, always :O. But the songs were so hard to understand and all :,(. I just wanted to hear Cammie´s voice (she´s so pretty and she goes hard, like, every time) but all the drums and the guitars and ewerthing was so distracting. Finally, Ocens of Slumber have done away with all that. Now its just Cammie, always. and she´s such a good singer . Like, so good. You think she can´t go more emotional but then she does :0. Wow. I like how there´s nothing to distract me from her singing anymore. The guirtars are barely audible and there´s like synths and stuff? idk much about production so idk.
Individual song breakdowwwwwwwn, yessss. Like on 'The Lighthouse', there´s this country western guitar. Cammie just keeps singing whatever the guitars do (so good), and thats why I lik,e it. 'Just a day' stgarts like its Adele, and I like that because I never cared about metal anyway. But there´s guitar orz and it comes back and suddenly her vocals sound a bit different. But thats okay because I can still hear her. House of the rising sun is also good. Pretty brave topic to come up with, especially as a woman She´s so tough +.+ Overall, Oceans of Slumber have yet again proven that the best way to make a metal album is to not make a metal album. I have heard many albums this year (3) and I can safely say, this is the best.
Rating: AWESOME/10
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