Angry Metal Guy

One of the most surprising records of this year for me and one that I’d sort of forgotten about until recently was Kalisia‘s epic concept album Cybion. Sold online as a single track for very cheap, this is one long-ass amazing progressive soundscape that probably shouldn’t be missed. These guys come from France which puts out some of the best progressive/avant garde metal in the world right now and these guys aren’t an exception to this. Ranging between traditional metal, progressive rock à la-Dream Theater (fortunately sans irritating vocalist) and ranging in towards techno, this is pretty impressive. There are, however, some issues with this CD. First, there is an excessive use of auto-tuned female vocals on it that I found to be really annoying, there is also a little too much techno for my tastes and I wish that the parts were more distinct at times. But this record still really impresses more than not and for the price, you can’t go wrong.

So apparently I’m way behind the times as I’d never actually listened to Swallow the Sun before I got their record recently, and now I’m super bummed that I didn’t get into these guys earlier because their new record New Moon is seriously a fantastic melodic/doom album. There are a few moments where I wish they’d hurry up and get somewhere, but all-in-all this record is fucking fantastic and totally addictive. I think it’s definitely woth a new look if you haven’t checked it out yet, and if you have you should go and spin it again. Seriously, I’ll definitely be checking out the discography.

The Chasm // Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm
Rating: 4.5/5.0 – Excellent
Label: Lux Inframundis Productions
Website(s): enterthedeathcult.com

In a lot of ways one has to feel a bit bad for The Chasm these days. They have worked as hard, or harder, than almost any band in the underground and fought for ground the whole time. They finally managed to fight their way to a good record deal with a good label that subsequently collapsed and now they’re back at at ground zero. Well, not really ground zero, think Point A. But not even really Point A, because honestly Point A is “write good music,” which they’ve got down. However, as opposed to breaking up after getting knocked down, The Chasm have instead produced a record: 2009′s opus Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm, which doesn’t have the same kind of support that it should have despite its fantastic quality.

And quality does Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm contain. My, my does it contain quality. The name of the album probably gets across the basic fundamentals of what’s going on here. Translated for those who don’t know what an “abysm” is, it’s safe to say that it’s basically an abyss. All of the atmospheric implications of a name like Farseeing the Paranormal Aybsm are definitely realized within this epic offering from The Chasm.

What The Chasm has done on Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm is something that many black metal bands would be totally jealous of—they have offered a highly epic, atmospheric record with great riffs and rawness that is also artistically interesting and still heavy. At the same time as it calls back to the greats of heavy metal it creates a very unique set of boundaries for the sound of the album. In a lot of ways it’s very thrashy, but still nearly black metal in its execution. Long passages of this album have no vocals and there are tons of excellent epic riffs which strike out of nowhere with whirlwind ferocity. The changes are smart, the soloing is good and the vocals are fantastic.

Probably the weakest aspect of this entire album is the production—which is a bit raw by modern standards—but I think a lot of fans of more raw music will actually really appreciate this raw production as it adds to the atmosphere of the misty nature of the record. And while many of the songs threaten to get a bit long, played at the proper volume on a rainy, misty winter day or at just before the sun disappears completely and you will be totally entranced by the dark, gritty atmosphere that this album helps evoke.

Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm is a triumph for underground death metal in this day and age where death metal is becoming more mainstream and more “core,” and it’s a triumph for The Chasm who have shown once again that they are as resourceful as they are excellent.

My Dying Bride has really been around a long time and remained remarkably good for a band of its stature. And honestly, of the bands that came out around the same time (Anathema, Paradise Lost) from the same area, they really have stayed the most consistently heavy in their long tenure. But this change hasn’t necessarily kept them fresh. For Lies I Sire is an OK record, but in the grand scheme of things it is definitely disappointing by, what I consider to be, high My Dying Bride standards. The vocals are great, but the writing is really not very inspired and/or catchy. There are some higher moments—particularly the first two tracks, which are both quite strong. But by the time you reach “Death Triumphant” (the final song), this Angry Metal Guy was ready to listen to something else.

I didn’t know these guys, but this is apparently Ghost Brigade‘s sophomore release. And it is a good record. A really good record. I’d have to say that this is probably the best combination of the sort of post-hardcore theme that’s been building for a while in the underground and “modern rock” (of the sort that Katatonia has become). Actually, to give it to you quick, these guys pretty much sound like Katatonia and Cult of Luna‘s savant lovechild. This record is solid as hell with great melodies, great atmosphere and they pull of that dirty sound that lots of bands (see: Atlas Moth, Solstafír, and many others) are doing these days, but combining it with good melodic metal moments and sort of sadboy rock. Isolation Songs is definitely fantastic, and could even be one of the year’s best.

You may, actually, have missed that Jani Liimatainen (ex-Sonata Arctica) actually has a new band! For those of us who are long time fans of Sonata Arctica, this was great news! However, the bad news was quickly assessed when I realized that Tim Kotipelto had, in fact, done the vocals on this record. So, good news and bad news. Well, I gotta say that Cain’s Offering didn’t end up being a bust, but I gotta be honest with you—I still fucking hate Timo Kotipelto’s vocals more than almost anything in the world. He just can’t quit sounding thin, irritating, annoying, whiny and.. generally crappy ALL THE TIME. His lyrics aren’t very hot either, honestly, nor is his understanding of English (though honestly it’s hard to blame him for fucking up prepositions and prepositional phrases given that Finnish has no prepositions at all and English is his second language…).

In any case, the record includes some pretty badass power metal in the vein of Stratovarius, old Sonata Arctica, and well, you know: Eurometal. There are some serious highlights on here, particularly the track with “Dawn of Solace,” which despite bad lyrics is ridiculously catchy and awesome. But there are some pretty bad tracks too: “More Than Friends” is a serious joke, it’s hardly a good song and Timo’s vocals really just give it a deathly pall. “Into the Blue” shows that power ballads are still alive—but seriously on life support and should probably have it pulled.

You a fan of old school Sonata Arctica and miss it? Well, Cain’s Offering has bested both Strat and Sonata Arctica this year as far as solid power metal releases go—but honestly it’s no Reckoning Night.