“Following my TYMHM for Seven Spires’s Emerald Seas last January, I continued doing my homework to stay up to date regarding any new projects vocalist Adrienne Cowan took part in. It’s no surprise then that one year later, I find myself writing another TYMHM for a band involving Cowan in a major role.” Hearts conSPIRE.
Emya
She Said Destroy – Succession Review
“Sifting through the depths of the Angry Metal Guy promo trough recently, I realized I was still riding the high of listening to and processing the new Seven Spires album. I came to the conclusion that I needed a change of musical scenery for my next review. When I came across She Said Destroy’s promo describing genre-bending melodic death metal, I determined the Norwegian band’s latest release might be the album I need to cleanse my musical palate.” Morbid arrangers.
Seven Spires – Gods of Debauchery Review
“Seven Spires released their second full-length album Emerald Seas, the prequel to their debut album Solveig, in February 2020. In tragic fashion, the four Berklee College of Music graduates scrapped their tour because of the global pandemic. Instead of wallowing in sorrow, the band wrote nearly 80 minutes of glorious new music, a true testament to their fervent love for the crafts of songwriting and musicianship. I raved about Emerald Seas in TYMHM last year, and let’s just say that my expectations were high for Gods of Debauchery.” Gluttony of goods.
Dawn Fades – Ode Review
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Dawn Fades is a band that, despite having a sound I find to be on the experimental fringes of metal, maintains a modest demeanor which comes through in their music. Dawn Fades’ specialty is not an ostentatious display of guitar riffs but rather the ethereal and sublime aura surrounding their songs.” Morning gaze.
Arcane Existence – Colossus Review
“What initially drew me to Arcane Existence’s sophomore release Colossus was, admittedly, the album cover. The rich, concentrated gem tones, spindly castle, misty forest, and swirly, cyclonic clouds hovering underneath a full moon had me hooked. I can handle this, I thought to myself, hoping against hope that none of my greedy coworkers would slap their name on the promo before I could do a little more research prior to fully committing. After learning that Arcane Existence describes their sound as symphonic blackened death, it was game over. Say no more. This promo was mine.” Art and large expectations.
Perturbator – Lustful Sacraments Review
“It is an interesting phenomenon how French synthwave musician Perturbator became a common household name among today’s metalhead community. Several years ago, I had an opportunity to see Perturbator live at Seattle’s vegan metal bar The Highline, the same venue where I previously saw Alcest, Oathbreaker, and Khemmis. Though it slipped my mind why I ultimately was unable to attend the Perturbator show, the point is that Perturbator has somehow become more aligned with the underground metal scene even though it would make far more sense for the band’s music to circulate most comfortably in synthwave circles.” Synthy lust.
Voronoi – The Last Three Seconds Review
“Voronoi is a progressive jazz metal trio hailing from Leeds, UK. The fact that keyboardist Aleks Podraza worked with the emotionally beautiful and genre-defying The Cinematic Orchestra immediately caught my eye. The band blends together the sophistication of classical music and modern jazz fusion with the heavy downtempo riffs of prog-metal. Imagine cutting edge jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan and math-metal experts Meshuggah teaming up to provide the background music for a dinner party.” Fusion turbulence.
Vexillum – When Good Men Go to War Review
“”Bagpipes are a lovely addition to any song,” I staunchly declared a mere fortnight ago in another review. While my bagpipe rule of thumb held true on Wynter Arvn’s Abysses, I’m struggling to stand by my words after spending the last couple weeks with Vexillum’s When Good Men Go to War. Strong onion, weakly held? I’d say so. How could I have known that this opinion would make me grimace so soon? Rather than adding a haunting and epic mysticism to Vexillum’s music, the bag-pipe is instead an ever-present, garish nuisance.” Bag men.
Nad Sylvan – Spiritus Mundi Review
“To be frank, my expectations were not high going into listening to Spiritus Mundi. As a Nad Sylvan noob, a quick glance at Sylvan’s promo shots and the choice of album cover had me performing the dreadful sin of judging an album by its cover. The deeper I made it into Spiritus Mundi, however, the less I questioned the numerous times El Cuervo has sung praises of Sylvan’s progressive rock in each of the ‘Vampire Trilogy’ albums. I unabashedly admit that Nad Sylvan knows how to write a charming album.” Nad spirits.
Timelost – Gushing Interest Review
“After reviewing Timelost’s debut album Don’t Remember Me For This only a year and a half ago, I mentioned that I was curious to see if the band would stick to their angsty shoegaze sound or decide to follow their debut album up with a blackened metal sound more closely aligned with their origins in heavier, more aggressive music. With an album name like Don’t Remember Me For This, my hypothesis was that Timelost would go for the latter in lieu of the former. Yet again, my hypothesis was proven incorrect.” Time gushes by, lost forever.