“I’ve always preferred melodic death metal to plain death metal. While I appreciate the skill involved in well-crafted brutality, I generally insist on having some kind of melody to follow along with or atmosphere to get lost in. I remember when Archspire hit the Angry Metal world through Relentless Mutation, and I could not understand the appeal. One day, not too long ago, it just… clicked. The technical skill, the expert neoclassical weavings, the sheer unmatched power of the thing — I’ve loved the album ever since. And ever since, I’ve been hungry for more. Symbolik are the next tech-death group to take a shot at winning my heart with Emergence, their debut full-length.” Heart clicks.
Emergence
Dreadnought – Emergence Review
“Much has been made of the impressive alignment of metal bands from Denver, and Colorado more generally, in recent years, including Khemmis, Spectral Voice and Blood Incantation, among myriad others. But Dreadnought have always stood apart from other bands not just within that scene but within metal overall given their singular blend of diverse influences, creating something vaguely resembling doom metal but which has always had wide eyes for detail and grandiosity.” Embiggened soundscapes.
Basilysk – Emergence Review
“The word “emerge” comes with sinister connotations. Think about where things emerge from: the fog, underneath things, out of the shadows and darkness. For Philadelphia quartet Basilysk, their debut full-length comes after almost a decade of honing their craft in obscurity with a series of demos.” Does Emergence find this independent Philly act emerging from the crowd?