“The Kvlt of Glitch pushes a fusion of EDM-pulsing industrial metal colliding with wantonly djent and noodling progressive metal. The more than qualified ChaotH (Humanoid), formerly of the departed Canadian darlings Unexpect, steers Vvon Dogma I through this blasphemous foray.” Good Dogma.
Saunders and Felagund demand to have their Top Ten(ish) lists heard across the land. We obliged.
“When you listen to Demiricous’ first two records, they clearly didn’t know what sound, style, or production they wanted. One is more At the Gatesy and relatively dynamic in the mix. The other is a Hatesphere punishment that makes your ears scream in pain. Back in the saddle, Demiricous has brought all their death/thrash influences together on Chaotic Lethal.” Chaotic good or chaotic bad?
“Few bands in metal have the combination of popularity and totally idiosyncratic sound that Gojira enjoys. The first time I saw the band perform, it was still playing support for Fear Factory; nowadays that’s hard to imagine, and would most likely be the other way around. On top of that, its style is instantly recognizable; mechanistic, multi-stage, palm-muted riffs full of syncopation and odd time signatures combined with complex drum fills and patterns. It’s so readily familiar, in fact, that the band have begun to sound like a flanderized version of itself, and any band taking inspiration from the Frenchies is bound to run into copycat accusations. That didn’t stop Tersivel from trying anyway.” Ape the best, ignore the rest.
“I didn’t expect to see another Fear Factory album after Genexus. I was okay with that too, as the band went out on a decent note. Yet here we are with album number eleven Aggression Continuum seeing its release overshadowed by vocalist Burton C. Bell’s announcement that he’s leaving the band. Factory wages, man…” Anger management.
“When it was announced that guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Dirk Verbeuren were collaborating for some kind of death metal project, I was unsure exactly what to expect. Mr. Harris is a grand progenitor of grind, starting out with Righteous Pigs before joining Napalm Death in 1989. Since then he’s helped define an entire genre and dabbled in weirdness on the side, as with Meathook Seed. On the other hand, Dirk Verbeuren has played with Megadeth, Soilwork, Devin Townsend, Warrel Dane, and any number of black and death metal acts. With such a widely traveled duo, the options seem limitless.” Frost grinding.
“Ah, Raven. Lovable goofballs from the dawn of the NWoBHM, perhaps best known for having a drummer who wore hockey equipment and their rather exuberant brand of “athletic rock.” Having been a teen during the dawn of this bygone era, I ate up most of Raven’s discography through the eighties, and played my All for One cassette to the point of it being worn out. Sadly, the band’s attempt to join the ranks of the hair metal bands with 1986’s The Pack is Back was a bad move that alienated the band’s fanbase, and they never really recovered.” Metal City. The city by the bay.
“If I say the magic words “space-themed death metal,” what do you see? If you see Blood Incantation or Artificial Brain come swooping in like a half-giant on a flying motorcycle, push your disappointment to the back of your mind, because we ain’t talking about them today.” Sxuspend expectations.
“I kind of forgot about Fear Factor for a while there. I can give no particular reason for it, they simply slipped out of my mind and slunk through the front door, down the stairs, into the street. But a band with such a unique sound was bound to return, at least in doppelganger form, burrowing back into my head. It took a minute to get my thoughts in order, but after mentally crossing out Godflesh, I knew who Ereley were pushing back into my brain. It wasn’t the pure stuff though.” Strange bedfellows.
“If you’re like me, you’ve probably never heard of Sweden’s Transport League. Formed way back in 1994, they knocked out four full-length discs before breaking up in 2005. During this time, TL played an in-your-face sludge style that combined the hard knocks of Clutch with the ghoulish qualities of Rob Zombie and the Southern flavors of Down and Pantera. After dabbling in the industrial world for a few years with their band M.A.N., the boys decided to give Transport League another try.” League of the unextraordinary.
