Zao

Sunrot – The Unfailing Rope Review

Sunrot – The Unfailing Rope Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on April 23, 2023 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Metalcore, Sludge, Sludge Metal, 10 comments

“Sunrot has got some shit to say, and they’ve imbued the sophomore The Unfailing Rope with an essence of festering self-loathing dripped forth from incensed veins. A low-tatter mind knows that drilling a hole into your skull won’t alleviate mental anguish, but fight after fight after fight can lead you to consider (“Trepanation”). And when life has gifted you a “seething scorn [that] cauterized the wounds that never bled,” (“Patricide”), well, that lets you know all you need to build the ethos of Sunrot: the only catharsis seems to be the end. Have you got a morbid fire stoked in your curious and deflated heart yet?” Extreme solutions.

Dusk – Spectrums Review

Dusk – Spectrums Review

By Cherd on February 17, 2023 in Reviews, Deathcore, Djent, Electronica Metal, Metalcore, 40 comments

“How I came to pen this review is kind of a funny story. Upon entering our promo pit and undergoing de-lousing, this record was tagged as death doom. Whether that was an honest mistake or something more nefarious is an ongoing discussion. The advance material does tout a guest spot by Jaani Peuhu, briefly a member of death doom luminaries Swallow the Sun (more on that later), but Steel has also openly admitted he sometimes lays promo traps for unsuspecting writers to unwittingly claim metalcore. Spectrums, the debut full-length by Saudi one-man band Dusk, has nary a hint of death doom. I’ll give you one guess what it is.” Traps in the glooming.

Negative 13 – Mourning Asteri Review

Negative 13 – Mourning Asteri Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on July 12, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Hardcore, Sludge Metal, 24 comments

“Negative 13 first hit the scene way back in 2002 (at the time as Negative Theory) with their self-titled (again Negative Theory) sludgefest. Presumably, life happened, as it so often does, and their dozens of fans were left with a welcome mat tagged with a goodbye note. However, in this world that keeps on giving, the past couple years have allowed people to rekindle old hobbies (and ditch new hobbies), bake bread (and then never bake bread again), and, in this case, jam with old friends. Just like that, these reinstated Pittsburghers were able to reissue their previous album as Negative 13 and lay plans for their sophomore outing Mourning Asteri.” Positive negativity.

An Isolated Mind – A Place We Cannot Go Review and Album Premiere

An Isolated Mind – A Place We Cannot Go Review and Album Premiere

By Grymm on February 15, 2022 in Reviews, Not Metal, Progressive Rock, 35 comments

“I’ll admit right now that after almost nine years of listening to hundreds of promos for review, there’s a ton of music that may have left an impression during that time, but honestly doesn’t stay with me once the review is submitted. Call it lack of staying power or my own need to move on to the next promo for review, but with a few notable exceptions, many albums that I’ve fallen for on first listen end up drifting to the wayside, destined to be forgotten. An Isolated Mind’s 2019 debut full-length, I’m Losing Myself, was certainly not one of those albums. An unflinching look at mental illness, I’m Losing Myself tackled a difficult subject with care and grace, and landed my top spot of 2019 in doing so.” Isolated but not lost.

Billy Boy in Poison – Umbra Review

Billy Boy in Poison – Umbra Review

By Grymm on September 9, 2021 in Reviews, Metalcore, 28 comments

“Over the years, I find it difficult to look into the promo bin and not find myself becoming jaded with the biographical fluffery that accompanies each and every album that we review. For every one (and usually just one) album that nonchalantly flips the entire genre we all love on its head, there are literally thousands of bands that lay claim to boundaries being pushed, subgenres being blended, and new ideas being brought forth in a storm of creative energy when, in reality, it’s just the same damn thing we’ve been fed over and over again. So, when Danish quintet Billy Boy in Poison proclaims that they’ve created “a unique take on death metal with a modern, razor-sharp sound and even some metalcore vibes,” my eyebrows furrow.” Poison, hype, and delusion.

Pathfinders – Ares Vallis Review

Pathfinders – Ares Vallis Review

By Doom_et_Al on April 14, 2021 in Reviews, Groove Metal, Metalcore, 28 comments

“Pathfinders’ sound is a robotic casing of groove metal which houses a metalcore rover that it uses to explore expansive concepts of the infinite. The metalcore tag can be a poisonous one in these parts, so let’s be clear straight off the bat: Pathfinders is more Killswitch Engage and less Zao. More djent and less prog. This is your high-school chewing-gum metalcore, back when Linkin Park seemed edgy. This will be deal-breaker for some, and if you are one of those folks who can’t stand the sound, I bid you farewell and Godspeed as you take the escape pod on your journey to the next review.” Explore-core.

Zao – The Crimson Corridor Review

Zao – The Crimson Corridor Review

By Grymm on April 7, 2021 in Reviews, Metalcore, Post-Metal, Sludge, 90 comments

“As someone who’s candidly gone on record about mental health in the past, it’s always a gamble for me to dive into an album that heavily focuses on such a difficult subject. It’s not often that it’s treated with the necessary weight and care that it undoubtedly deserves, and more often than not, for every one An Isolated Mind’s I’m Losing Myself, there are about 50 of these littering the scene, taking up way too much space and energy. If there’s one band, though, that can tackle it with grace and honesty, it’s Pennsylvania’s Zao.” Corridors of the mind.