“I’d be willing to put down money that The Temple is or contains a piece of Ulcerate. This New Zealand duo consists of P.K. on guitar, bass, and vocals (Paul Kelland? Sure sounds like him) and J.W. on drums (former Ulcerate vocalist James Wallace?), and to make matters worse, the self-titled debut was mixed and produced by J. Saint Merat. But this feeling of limbo, that maybe it is or maybe it isn’t, is what The Temple dwells in.” Crouching temples, hidden tech-death.
“Tales of Othertime is an entirely different beast. Its pre-baked hype squad will undoubtedly boost its popularity, but its status as one of the most fun and listenable black metal records of the year will propel it there regardless.” Stromhype.
“Let’s face it, Exodus is more metal than you. They’ve been at the thrash thing for a zillion years and helped write the book on the genre (both the good and bad chapters). Some may even think they belong in the Big Four more than some of the Big Four, but that’s a bar fight for another time. Their 11th album is upon us, the first since 2014s Blood In, Blood Out, and it’s about freaking time! Persona Non Grata finds Exodus pretty much exactly where we left them 7 years ago. The same lineup, the same approach, the same refusal to bend the knee to trends. This is Exodus in all their hairy, wart-covered glory and you either love them or hate them.” Hugs for thugs.
“There hasn’t been much positivity coming from the Swallow the Sun camp these last few years. The tragic passing of guitarist Juha Raivio’s partner and Trees of Eternity collaborator Aleah Stanbridge led to a grief-driven release from Raivio’s Hallatar project as well as the unrelentingly depressive When a Shadow is Forced Into the Light from this group. Years pass and pain diminishes, but based on what we get on Moonflowers, it seems Mr. Raivio is still struggling to get back to the light.” Aphotic hypnotic.
“It shouldn’t be a surprise that following up the best thing you’ve ever done is a tough task; no wonder some bands go in a different direction entirely. Aephanemer, freshly signed to Napalm Records, are not running from that legacy.” Boars before swine.
“Where Ruins based its first track loosely on the seminal critical theory work, Minima Moralia: Reflexionen aus dem beschädigten Leben, by German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno, Daxma’s second full-length, Unmarked Boxes, drinks deep of 13th century Persian poet Rumi’s work of the same name.” Smart music.
“In my review of Diluvium, I argued that the core of the band’s sound had become a super-tech melodeath band. And, as it turns out, my analysis was right on the money. Despite a (second) mass exodus that led to guitarist Christian Münzner and bassist JP Thesseling rejoining the band, A Valediction doesn’t present a more abstract and progressive Obscura. In fact, it’s the opposite.” So, is that a good thing?
“A model of consistency, Indianapolis doom quartet Apostle of Solitude return with their sixth album, When the Darkness Goes. Staying on schedule of an album roughly every four years, this one follows 2018’s strong release From Gold to Ash, reviewed right here. The lineup remains the same, as does the style.” Dark and familiar.
“Khemmis, along with Pallbearer, Crypt Sermon, and Spirit Adrift, were once at the vanguard of an exciting new wave of American doom metal. Between 2012 and 2016 these acts burst onto what appeared to be a promising and burgeoning scene, each offering an exciting mixture of old and new sounds. 2021 finds most of these once-promising acts on a bit of a downward trend.” Deceive or reprieve?
“Rien ne suffit: nothing is enough. For Plebeian Grandstand, it might as well be a motto. The Toulouse have made their career defying categorization, and pushing each release to be something new, something more. How Hate is Hard to Define set a bar for blackened mathcore that no other record has come close to clearing, only for the band to sink into sludgy, dissonant black metal with Lowgazers. That muddy reek was fired with death metal oppression to make the gleaming False Highs, True Lows, and now, with Rien ne Suffit, it is shattered.” Enough is never MOAR.
