Another band just crawls out of the woodwork and lays down one seriously impressive slab of metal. Seriously, I know not one thing about these guys except that they are a group of very talented individuals that have crafted a very unique take on what I’m calling an ethereal dreamscape variety of death metal. Honestly, labeling this thing death metal kind of does it a bit of disservice because it’s really more expansive than that. I think the closest comparison to other bands that I can make is Cynic, but there are elements of Meshuggah, The Contortionist and Intronaut thrown in to the mix as well. It’s a very progressive piece of music. As stated before, this one runs the gamut from soft and melodic songs to harsh odd-timed polyrhythms. It’s definitely an album that will take a few listens to get used to. But once you learn Exist’s language, it ends up being a very rewarding experience.
Holy Moly! feels like it really earned the exclamation point. In my mind, Blues Pills has, up to this point, been a band full of potential. Holy Moly! feels like a culmination of Blues Pills finally capitalizing on the promise set out on their first two albums.
Blues Pills is a member of the myriad of throwback metal bands that celebrate the psychedelic rock music of the late 60s and early 70s. Their main calling card to this point has been the unbelievable pipes of lead vocalist Elin Larsson. She has some of the most soul searing vocal performances that you will come across and it still baffles me how she has not become a superstar in the metal/hard rock world as of yet. There aren’t many young vocalists in the game that can hold a candle to her ability. I really enjoyed both of Blues Pills’ first couple of albums, but both of them felt a bit top heavy. By that, I mean the singles were great, but the remaining meat of the albums kind of dropped off in quality after the hits. Holy Moly! corrects this in a big way and it is a damn fine album from start to finish. Overall, it reminds me greatly of some of Graveyard’s finer albums. It’s a good blend of no-nonsense rockers and sultry ballads. This really feels like an album from a band that has finally put all of the pieces together and have gelled as a unit. It’s a shame that touring has been put on hold because I would kill to see them pull this album off live. Just go buy this thing already.
Black Metal. I’ll be honest: sometimes its hard to articulate why some black metal albums resonate with me and why others don’t. I think it’s because black metal isn’t a very accessible art form in general. It’s one of those things that is going to click with you or it’s not. This latest album of black metal is one of the ones that really did something for me. It feels like at least once a year there is a black metal band that comes out of the woodwork and puts out something that I find really impressive. I think Uncrown might be that album this year.
First of all, the band, Ages, is an unknown entity to me. From what I can gather, this is album number two for the band and they ply their trade in Scandinavian black metal. Their black metal feels a little more in line with what you find out of the Northwestern U.S. scene in that it’s more focused on atmospherics rather than pummeling aggression in the Mayhem vein or symphonics in the Dimmu Borgir realm. I’d slot these guys in with Agalloch and Wolves in the Throne Room. Hell, one of the dudes plays an instrument called an Oud, which looks to be something out of the lute family. That should give you a bit of a flavor of the sound of which these guys are attempting. One difference in Ages approach is that there are no really long songs. Everything is kind of in the 4-6 minute range. So, it’s accessible in that way. This honestly feels like a good album to start with for someone not overly familiar with black metal. It’s not overly harsh. I mean, compared to Aerosmith, it’s fucking harsh. But, for a black metal album, this is fairly accessible stuff. Just find a rainy day and let this one melt into your mind. This will be a really nice cold weather album.
I feel like I keep saying this a lot of late, but here’s another album to simply cherish for its mere existence. It’s a sad state of affairs in our current climate, but for bands the size of Black Crown Initiate, the prospect of surviving as an active entity is fraught with peril. From hearing some stories surrounding the making of this album, the fact that this thing even exists is a miracle and a testament to the dedication of the members of the band to keep plugging away in the face of multiple obstacles. I fear that so many metal bands are going to find themselves in this state of affairs going forward with the lack of touring.
This is full length number three for Black Crown Initiate and it has been four long years since their last release. Things had been so quiet on their front as far as touring and new album news that I really started to fear we had lost these guys for good. It sounds like the band members had gone through quite an upheaval on personal, financial and health fronts. As a result, this album is coming from a very dark place. I can only thank these guys for remaining committed to this project and seeing this album to its end because they really came up with something special on this release.
Black Crown Initiate is a member of the technical death metal genre, but they been one of the few bands in that genre that has managed to find that sweet balance between the technical and the creative. Sometimes the bands in this sub-genre can veer into the pure masturbatory indulgences of speed and aggression that end up ruining any attempt at creating any memorable songs. Black Crown definitely has moments of technical brilliance and flash, but it is all focused to serve the songs and the album as a whole. Added flashes of acoustic and odd timings and rhythms throughout also give their take on technical death metal a more unique and memorable impact. Also, on this album, it feels as though the vocals have almost been split evenly between the demon growls of James Dorton and the angelic croon of guitarist Andy Thomas. The dichotomy of the two styles elevates the album to such a cool place.
This is just a phenomenally forward thinking and emotional gut-punch of a death metal album. This is the kind of album that transcends the genre and it really carving out an interesting space all its own.
This was a tough one. There have been a number of prominent metal musicians pass away recently (and I plan to address each of those in future posts. I just haven’t been able to bring myself to properly address each just because everything in the world just seems so bleak and fucked up right now), but Riley’s death really shook me. I think it’s because he died so very young and with so much life left to live. Riley and his band, Power Trip, were just beginning to break into some relative mainstream success and it really felt like this band’s future was very bright. We only got two full length albums out of these guys and it really feels like a loss in that we’ll never get to see where these guys would have gone in the future. In addition to fronting a great band, Riley seemed like one of the good dudes on the metal scene. He championed the causes of the little guy and always spoke out in a uncompromising manner on the issues important to him. Metal needs more dudes like this.
For those of you that weren’t familiar with Power Trip or had a chance to see them in a live setting, I’m sorry to say that you really missed a chance to see a band and a frontman who knew how to properly put on a metal show. From the moment these guys would hit the stage, it would be as if a bomb went off. Power Trip was pure energy, aggression and catharsis personified. They had perfected that blend of old school 80s thrash metal with a bit of a hardcore punk attitude. Their shows were not for the weak of heart. If you ventured into one of their pits, you knew going in there was a real possibility of coming out bloodied and bruised. But it was glorious release and there aren’t many bands that I’ve ever seen live that just catapulted a routine metal show into something otherworldly. I was lucky enough to see Power Trip at the very beginning of their career and also during their stints opening up for some of the heavy hitters of the metal world. The first time I saw them was at the Scoot Inn in Austin during SXSW. They were the opening band during a free day show that also included Kadavar, Orange Goblin and Clutch. They hit the stage at 1pm and I had made a point to get their early to see them. Even though there weren’t many people at the venue yet, I was completely floored by their performance. Riley was one of those guys who just exuded confidence, charisma and enthusiasm that made it impossible not to get fully immersed in what the band was doing on stage. Riley was a headbanging whirling dervish jumping around the stage in his trademark ball cap and mustache. This band just held nothing back. They were there to go completely all out whether there were 20 people in the crowd or 500 people. They only played a 30 minute set, but they won me over in a big way that day. I was able to see them in numerous clubs over the course of the next few years and even got to see them open up for Lamb of God and Anthrax at the Moody Theater in Austin. It was so cool to see this hardcore bunch of kids playing at one of the classiest concert theaters around.
So, if you didn’t know Power Trip before reading this, go pull up a copy of Manifest Decimation or Nightmare Logic and blast ’em loud. Riley was a special dude and the metal world is a little less interesting without him.
Here’s some footage I shot the last time I saw Power Trip in 2018 at the Mohawk in Austin. Hopefully it will give you a sense of how intense being in the pit at one of their shows was like. Audience participation was always a big part of the show.
I don’t know much about these dudes except that they hail from New Jersey and it feels as though they worship at the alter of Jeff Loomis. This is Etherius’ debut platter and it feels like primarily a showcase of the talents of guitarist Jay Tarantino. For the most part, this is a shredfest. Leads at the speed of the more hyperactive moments of John Petrucci. Plus, as a big positive, these guys know how to play an aggressive riff (which goes to the Loomis comparison). There are a few acoustic and flamenco-inspired prologues to add some variety to some of the songs, but as stated before, this is primarily an excuse to shred. And, shred they do. It feels like album is more for you hotshot guitarist enthusiasts out there than for more general consumption.
This was a good album to see pop up on the release calendar. I was a big fan of the Baroness years when Pete Adams was a part of that band and I was really disappointed to see him leave. So, it’s nice to see that him and his brother Jake are carrying on under the Valkyrie moniker.
I’ve seen a lot of reviewers characterize these guys as a doom band and I guess that sort of makes sense. However, to me, they really have more of a traditional metal and stoner metal bent mixed with a jam band sensibility. If that makes any sense at all. Jake Adams’ voice also strangely reminds me of a cross between Robert Smith of The Cure with Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity. It’s sort of an emo-ish stoner wail. If that makes any sense at all. I guess what I’m trying to say is that this album feels like a mish-mash of a multitude of styles and personalities. If you dig on meandering lead guitars, then this is probably an album you will enjoy. The guitar work is strong. The songs could be a little stronger. Ultimately, this one kind of ends up a middle of the road release and not as strong as their previous album, Shadows, from 2015.
Let’s start with a couple of things at the outset on this one. First, the music contained on this album does not correspond to the album artwork in the slightest. I see a hockey helmet with a bloody knife jammed into it and I feel like I’m going to get a serious dose of Canadian barn-rattlin’ boogie rock ala April Wine or Bachman Turner Overdrive. This is not the case. Second, this feels like the anti-2020 album of 2020. This is a light and frothy mix of keyboard driven 70’s classic rock in the vein of ELO, Blue Oyster Cult and Styx. Shit, they go so far as to include a song called Sail On. Their influences are that blatant. It feels a stab at a counterbalance to all of the dark slabs of hate and doom that seem to be the norm of the albums of 2020.
I wasn’t really familiar with Horisont prior to listening to this album. So, my first impression was really one of trying to reorient my expectations. Seriously, I thought this was going to be a hard rockin’ bar band party album. To go from that expectation to the actual music contained on here was kind of off-putting. However, once I went back and listened to it a few more times, I realized that there is a lot of pretty decent music on here. Now, to be fair, I’m not the biggest fan of this flavor of 70’s rock. Shit, this is barely even metal. It’s more metal adjacent than anything. However, if you dig on ELO and other keyboard driven rock with downright precious sounding high clean vocals, you are probably going to get a pretty good kick out of this album. It’s really good at what it does. It’s just not exactly my cup of tea.
Judicator just oozes European power metal. For some weird reason, the dudes claim to be American. Pish. No fucking way these guys aren’t from some hamlet in the Black Forest of Germany or some isolated fjord in Sweden.
This is metal for all you Blind Guardian, Stratovarius and Hammerfall fans out there. You’ve got the hard driving old school Maiden-esque guitar riffs. You’ve got the high pitched vocals that give more than a passing wink and nod to Hansi of Blind Guardian. You’ve got lyrics about ancient battles and shit. I mean, there are Romans and Persians and I think we end up in Carthage at some point. You know, checking all of the power metal boxes.
All in all, this one is a fairly solid entry to the power metal realm. I think my 20 year old self would have been a lot more excited about this one than the 48 year old version of today. Maybe I’m just a jaded fuck and have heard too many albums of this kind, but as solid of an album as this is production and performance-wise, it just left me wanting a bit more on some level. I think it’s more of me not being as impressed by power metal as I once was. It probably says more about me than it does of this band.
Do you think they feel like assholes for releasing an album titled “Virus” in 2020? I mean, regardless of whether this was intentional or if it was just coincidental, you’ve got to feel a little squeamish about this, right? Too soon, man. And a little too on the nose, don’t ya think?
Anyway, it feels like this album was in the works well before the mess of 2020 exploded and is an extension of the story line laid out in the band’s previous album, Vector. There’s nothing on here that directly plays into current events. So, we’ll give them a bit of a pass for their insensitivity.
Since Dream Theater has become a stagnant non-entity as the standard bearer of the prog metal world over the past few releases, it leaves this field of metal wide open for some up-and-comers to stake out some territory. Haken is one of these bands that, if they haven’t already, feels poised to make themselves at home at or near the top of the prog metal heap. This latest album feels like their strongest output to date. Now, after kicking Dream Theater in the teeth, I feel like we should give credit where credit is due because it feels like Virus wouldn’t exist without the influence of the DT dudes. And, to be fair, I don’t think Virus quite reaches the level of the legendary DT albums, but man, there sure is a lot to like on here. The guitar work is super aggressive and intricate. The choruses soar and the melodies are catchy as all hell. This is just a really nice slab of professionally produced prog metal.
DISPATCHES FROM THE VOID 