‘Krosis is a progressive deathcore band from North Carolina, A Memoir of Free Will being their second full-length. I’m not sure what progressive really entails, as the label has been used to describe anything from the djenty chuggaboundabounboundaluggs of Structures or Volumes, to the transcendental offerings of Slice the Cake or Kardashev.” Jawbreakers.
![Car Bomb – Mordial [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CarBomb-Mordial01.jpg)
“New York’s Car Bomb have oddly escaped my radar, so I was stoked to finally become acquainted with the band on their blockbuster fourth LP, Mordial. Admittedly I’m less adventurous towards experimental, technical extreme metal than I used to be, but bands like the mighty The Dillinger Escape Plan, along with Burnt by the Sun, Uphill Battle and large portions of the early Willowtip roster are dear to my heart. Car Bomb’s complex, abrasive blend of mathcore and choppy, groove-centric extreme metal is full of color as surprisingly penetrating hooks lend a vaguely accessible streak to otherwise challenging and uncompromising music.” Don’t cut the red wire.
“In this decade, death metal doubled down on its inaccessibility and became all the better for it. Whether that inaccessibility finds expression through old school pummeling or the more abstract sounds of the genre’s new torch-bearers, it’s hard to see the scene as unhealthy or in any way tamed. It wasn’t always like this, though. The 2000s were not so kind to death metal and at the tail end of that decade a scramble to reinvigorate the genre produced acres of lackluster material that was largely defined by its relationship to Meshuggah.” Negative, Ghostrider.
“What is the heaviest album of all time? While you’re running off to the comments to tell me, I’m going to stay here and admit that I have no clue. I don’t even know what the heaviest album ever would sound like. It could be blazingly fast or crushingly slow, or some combination of the two. Or it could simply carry an intense emotional weight from its subject matter, but the point is, heaviness is a hard concept to define when it comes to music.” Heavy as a two-ton thing.
“I’ve dabbled and enjoyed the occasional metalcore band or album in the past, but overall I’ve never been overly fond of the genre and the debilitating rut metalcore as a whole appears to be stuck in. Yet, I believe in taking risks and being open minded, so I put on my mask of hope and optimism to tackle German band Third Wave and their Metamorphosis LP.” Don’t rock the boat.
![VOLA – Applause of a Distant Crowd [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/volaapplause-768x768.jpg)
“Back in 2015, myself and Kronos were taken with Denmark’s VOLA and their debut album entitled Inmazes, to such an extent that I wrote about it at the year’s end. I was shocked and dismayed that we missed it on the first go around and resolved to keep a weather eye on the musical horizon to not miss another release. Alas, October 12th rushed by and a sophomore release went with it. Now it falls on me to once more make amends and remind our readership of my increasingly poseur taste in metal.” Untrve confessions.
“More cold, more -core. The chillier days and drearier weather settling in motivated my selection of this week’s review as I desired something which would hopefully boast catchy melodies and easy head-banging to compel a spring in my step on my morning commute. Germany’s metalcore troupe The Disaster Area stepped up to the plate with their innovatively-entitled sophomore full-length Alpha // Omega (A/O). Moreover, their one-sheet suggested that the record may ‘show [the listener] a way back into the light.'” Rainy days and core get us down.
“A calamitous ray of hope against the JNCO, Meshuggah’s Chaosphere seized metal’s conventions by the throat, flayed them alive and curb-stomped the body. Atonal chords, time signature seizures, and insane, prosaic insight screamed with voice of Hell itself and more were wrought unto those caught within the ‘sphere, and this piece is dedicated to the memories of life and heaviness as we knew them before Chaosphere ripped those scandalous bitches in two.” Birth of an abomination.
“My introduction to the band was on The Mountain, which found the band dropping incredible songs with deeply creative compositions and amazing performances. But The Mountain‘s follow-up—Affinity—has never really established itself in my listening rotation. Unfortunately, while Affinity was full of ideas I loved and things I appreciated intellectually, it was like the girl who’s “perfect” for you but that you can’t get into. So I’ll admit mild consternation when Vector arrived. I wondered if Vector would continue in Affinity’s footsteps or if Haken had stayed on the move.” Moving and remaking.
“Do you like djent? How about metalcore? Switzerland? Or perhaps Mycelia’s self proclaimed moniker of progressive deathcore? If you answered yes to these questions, you are potentially in for a tasty treat via the band’s fourth LP, entitled Apex. With such genre tags commonly used as punching bags by the trve metal folk, keeping an open mind was an essential element in tackling my latest review assignment. I can’t say I’m a big fan of djent or metalcore, though I’ve dabbled in the past, and plenty of bands I’ve enjoyed over the years have had elements of the styles. I’d never experienced Mycelia’s chunky brand of modern, angst-ridden metal previously. So after spinning Apex and collecting my thoughts, have the experienced Swiss six-piece overridden my skepticism and gained a new fan?” 6 core and 7 years ago.
