There are some records that come across my digital desk that, regardless of how invested I am with the artist personally, are just important and need to be in the spotlight. Like Today Is The Day. Who is legendary. And has persevered. And produced not only a wealth of sonic knowledge on their own but are also responsible for kickstarting a slew of bands that continually push boundaries and expand today’s musical soundscape.
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“Doom done right”. That should be the tagline attached to Morne’s To The Night Unknown. Heavy and bristling with intensity, the latest (Their fourth, actually) album from the Boston behemoths is a slick metallic collection of tracks destined to seep into your consciousness and bite at your very soul! In a good way. [Read more…]
Easily one of our most favorite new bands of the past 5-10 years, Detroit’s Child Bite tap into this primal feeling of wonder each time they play by producing music that’s genre-defying and takes listeners on a different sonic journey with each new track. [Read more…]
It seems that 2018 is the year for resurrecting old columns here and the latest single from Nuke Everything seemed to be the perfect excuse to bring back “Untitled Metal Column”! Also, holy shit, we haven’t done one of these in almost three years? And holy shit! We’ve been around for over three years?!?! [Read more…]
Honestly, I don’t know why I’ve never fully immersed myself in the awesome that is High On Fire. I had a record once (2005’s Blessed Black Wings) but since I’ve only dabbled and been a casual fan. If you’re like me then prepare to slap yourself upside the head for missing out on High On Fire’s brilliance for so long especially after you sink your earholes into their seventh full-length, Luminiferous. [Read more…]
Hot damn! Are you looking for some doom and gloom to kickstart your 2015? Do you long for the days of Seattle grunge, especially the heavy underbelly? And more importantly, do you miss Tad Doyle? If you answered “Heck yes!” to any of those questions then you are in luck because Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth gives you all that and more. [Read more…]
Sometimes the best music is that which you know nothing about beforehand. Take Abstracter for example. Promo came across my desk and like everything that comes across my desk, I gave it a solid listen. Guys and gals, I know we’re barely a week into the new year but hitting “play” on Wound Empire, the second release from Oakland’s Abstracter, is easily one of the best decisions I’ll have made all year. Guaranteed. [Read more…]
I’m not saying this is the greatest Slipknot album yet…but it kinda is. An album that should not be is now less than 24 hours from being released. Fueled by death and inner turmoil, .5: The Gray Chapter is a fury-filled fuck you to naysayers and a triumphant step forward for the nine.
It’s also a giant fuck you to fired founding member Joey Jordison who many believed was the driving force as far as songwriting was concerned. Just listen to “The Negative One”, Slipknot’s first tease from the album released back in August. Never mind the obvious jab in the song name (“One” was Jordison’s number) all you have to do is take one listen to any of the lyrics within: “I hope you live/To see the day/When your world comes up in flames/And as you die/You see my face/You’re the only one to blame”. And that’s just one refrain. Stylistically this “gift to the fans” showed off strong songwriting with a vicious track that captured the raw ferocity of Slipknot merged with modern technology. [Read more…]
Is this the end of Nachtmystium or isn’t it? According to a recent interview with Blake Judd the end isn’t exactly nigh for the Chicgao black metal luminaries.
Regardless, if The World We Left Behind is, in fact, the last Nachtmystium album then listening to this opus is a bittersweet experience. From beginning to end it’s a reminder of not only how important and vital Nachtmystium is to the black metal scene but also the need for the scene to sometimes morph and change over time.
Assassins: Black Meddle Part I started the trend by adding elements of psychedelia and classic rock (Think Kyuss does Satyricon), Addicts: Black Meddle Part II in 2010 continued along the path while 2012’s Silencing Machine went back to basics almost erasing what had been built.
On The World That We Left Behind, however, Nachtmystium brings their sound full circle and lay everything bare. Those Assassins-style experimentations are back on not only the epic introspective lumbering beast that is “Voyager” but scattered throughout. Speaking of “introspective”, that word is a theme that runs rampant throughout The World We Left Behind touching on the tumultuous year that band leader Blake Judd experienced on almost every track.
But back to the music.
The first proper song here (“Fireheart”) is more of a rocker and less a metal affair with, dare I say, danceable drum beats? Experimentation indeed. On the other spectrum, “Into The Endless Abyss” is the blackest of black metal fusing spaced out electronics with a slamming blast beat by Sam Shroyer as Judd just fucking roars. The title track builds for a solid minute and a half to a chaotic peak and then just explodes as Judd screeches the chorus and you bang your head in solidarity. Elsewhere, the gorgeous (Yes, I used the word “gorgeous” to describe a Nachtmystium song) “Epitaph For A Dying Star” closes TWWLB with Judd’s howls of “No More Pain” set against Karla Murphy’s lush vocals amidst a sonic maelstrom of screaming guitars.
The World We Left Behind crash landed on Planet Earth today via Century Media Records. You can still get some pretty sweet package deals at CMdistro or for instant gratification, check the album out on Itunes.
Corrupt Moral Altar bring the stuff of metal nightmares on Mechanical Tides. On their debut, these UK metallers bring the frenetic intensity of Converge, the frenetic intensity of Goes Cube, the frenetic intensity of…..there’s just a lot of “frenetic intensity”, okay?
Speaking of GC, “Father Tongue” begins MT like a Goes Cube song that went berserk and flows into “Blood Harmony” with ease slowing things down considerably and focusing on Chris Reese’s brilliantly vicious voice. Next, Carcass’ Jeff Walker helps out on the crazed schizophrenia of “Die Glocke” complete with gang vocals and Tom Dring’s time changing drum mastery.
If that wasn’t enough “old school” metal for you then try “Line Check” which channels Entombed with John Cooke’s guitar capturing some of that Swedish crunch from Wolverine Blues. Reese has some of that Petrov punch in the low range but it’s his ear piercing screeches that take this one to another level.
You still want more? How about the epic slab of metal mayhem known as “Wire Mother”? At almost eight minutes long and still barely in the middle of Mechanical Tides yet, this one has it all. Time changes? Yep. Massive breakdowns? Oh yeah. Style changes? Got those. Indecipherable shrieks? What’d you say???
If you’re looking for a metal debut that really hits all that and more then Corrupt Moral Altar is a band you really need to check out. And I didn’t even touch on the second half of MT and crushers like “Closed Casket” and “Garland Greene” or the out-of-left-field “Admit Defeat” which has some full on crooning hapening. Seriously. And it’s really, really good.
Mechanical Tides is out now through Season Of Mist. Get yours here.