“Vancouver progressive sludgers Empress originally came on my radar in July, which is when their debut LP, Premonition, was originally due for release. It was delayed until now and, for once, the delay was driven by good news, namely that Empress had been picked up by a label, Petrichor (which seems to be an off-shoot of Hammerheart Records). I guess a bit of time was then needed for the band and new label to get all their sludgy duckies in a row ready for the release.” Ready to rule.
“B R I Q U E V I L L E. Yes, the promo blurb immediately reassures me, the “spaces between the letters are indeed part of their moniker.” And I roll my eyes and dispense with the spaces. Quelle is the third record from this Flanders, Belgium collective and the first to have a title, following 2014’s self-titled debut and 2017’s II. The title is a linguistic play on Quelle‘s differing meanings in German and French, ‘source’ and ‘which,’ respectively, with the “theme of a ‘source’ and the ‘which’ linking it reflexively to our previous album artwork,” quoth the raven Nazgûl-robed, golden-masked BRIQUEVILLE member.” Another BRIQUE in the wall.
“It’s hard to have hope sometimes. We live our lives constantly getting up and going, always moving onto the next thing—moths chasing flames that grow more elusive as the dawn approaches. We’re tortured by silence in a screaming year, laced with events of turmoil and perpetual change—a silver silence that holds a mirror up to our faces and our truths. And we don’t always like what we see. It’s hard to have hope when we’re distracted, romanced by the illusion of productivity, blinded by privilege, and shielding our weary eyes from discomfort. This is what makes Svalbard so important; they force us to look.” Dying to heal.
“One of the countless awful consequences of COVID-19 has been music from artists having their releases delayed. Icelanders Dynfari were one of many victims of this. Their fifth album, Myrkurs er þörf (Darkness is Needed), originally slated for an April release, is only seeing the light of day now. For the uninitiated, Dynfari plays an organic blend of black metal and post-metal in the vein of Sólstafir and Agalloch. Their last LP, The Four Doors of the Mind, was a concept album chronicling the various human responses to profound mental trauma.” Therapy delayed.
“Interesting, the grey area between rock and metal. It takes a lot of different shapes, from the classic hard rock proto-metal to the commercialized tough guy semi-nu-metal that still wanted to have radio play.[1. Joke’s on them, the hardest thing on commercial radio these days is fucking Imagine Dragons.] It’s an area that, in one of its many incarnations, has been elemental to most of us in our journey into the depths of our favorite depravity, as a bridge between the socially acceptable and commercially viable on the one end, and metal on the other. Ambassador, a four-piece from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, have a different approach to this uncertain spectrum from those I’ve mentioned.” Sad diplomacy.
“While other monoliths stagnate in dark and gloomy dimensions, Australian quintet Turtle Skull prefers to rely on bright and sunny desert safaris with their unique brand of metal, dubbed “flower doom.”” Smell the doom.
“All bands are post-something by nature of artistic creation, but you can always tell when one voluntarily takes on the label. Italian blackgaze outfit Svnth bears the mantle proudly, but is their take fresh? If history has indeed ended, does it matter?” Post-notes.
“I’m gonna level with ya, kids. Like all of you, all the big plans I made earlier this year have been dashed on the rocks like an unforgiving, breaking wave. Summer is almost over here in the States, and not once have I gone out to our neighborhood pool, carefully-disguised alcoholic beverage in hand, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun or the refreshing coolness of the pool’s water. Instead, I’ve spent my time trying not to kill coworkers at my job, trying not to kill fellow customers at my local Publix, or trying my damnedest to avoid all humanity at any and all cost, whether it’s in person or online. So when tasked with reviewing Alter Ego, the debut full-length from Ukrainian progressive/post-metallers Nug, they were at an unfair disadvantage, as it would have to take something special for me to enjoy yet another take on post-anything.” Post-ego.
“Ambient music and metal, on the surface, appear to have little in common: ambient’s gentle, relaxing melodies are, superficially, a far cry from the furious pummeling and screeches that defines most metal. And yet, the two go frequently hand in hand, possibly because, when you adjust to it, metal, like ambient, can be hypnotic and soothing. It would explain why bands such as Wolves in the Throne Room and Violet Cold have both released ambient records, in the form of Celestite and the Sommermorgen trilogy, respectively. Now we have Gruppe Planet, a German supergroup of sorts.” Travel restrictions.
“ISIS were a gateway band for me and they, along with a handful of others, are largely responsible for shaping my musical ‘tastes’ as they exist today. Originally introduced to ISIS by way of their unfuckable-with sophomore album, Oceanic, I then discovered that the fundamentals of ISIS‘ iconic, oft-copied-but-never-bettered sound were already fully formed on their debut LP, 2000’s Celestial.” Star breakers.
