Trails of Anguish - Scathed Gaping Misery

Trails of Anguish were a black metal band from Canada , who formed in 2000.  After the disbandment of Through Sombre Sorrowfield, musicians Dishcord and Scythrawl formed the new project through a desire to create aggressive yet melodic and cathartic black metal.

“Scathed Gaping Misery,” is actually a compilation of the only two EPS ever released by the band, 2001’s “Relentless Abhorrence,” and 2003’s “Scarred Memento.”  

According to their Metallum page, the band is still active.  I am not sure on that but I hope they are because this release represents a band with an insane appetite for creating black metal that fully melds aggression and melody together.  

The duo definitely managed to complete their vision—the songs are visceral but are laced with just the right amount of melody.  Most of the album is played at a high tempo, which certainly increases the aggressive factor.  

The album begins with “Beyond Charismatic Sickness,” and one hell of a blackened scream.  The drums are so fast they don’t seem real but I assume they are indeed.  The song slows down during a few precious seconds, allowing the structure to breathe.  About the halfway mark, sorrowful melody and clever drumming pushes the song into more atmospheric waters but it’s always riff based with tons of energy.

“Laments Of Martyrised Innocence,” showcases their desire to think outside the box.  For the first 37 seconds or so, the song barrels through but seamlessly cascades into a beautiful clean section.  But the screams are still there, as are the drums so the song remains engaging no matter what it throws out.  

The clean guitar returns for “...And Desolated Trails Of Anguish” but this song bears the hint of emotional burden and a depressive quality, although it’s just as fast and aggressive as the other songs.  This is one of the best songs on the album as it really brings their sound together and showcases what this album is all about.

“Spectral Life Scars,” is another highlight, due to the guitars which while still consisting of much aggression and heaviness, are atmospheric enough on their on to give the song a different vibe than the other songs.  The clean section after the 1:19 mark and the spoken word that is peppered throughout the track adds to the song’s mysterium. 

Ultimately, “Scathed Gaping Misery” is a fitting swansong for a band that left too soon and an ode to the testament that great bands don’t always need a large discography.  There are a ton of bands who only released a small amount that have been lost to the annals of time but, thankfully, Trails of Anguish have been pushed back into the blackened light.  Don't miss out on the second chance to hear this hidden gem of the black metal scene. 

Grindeye - Bloom

Grindeye is an instrumental post-metal band from the valley of Trier, Germany.  They formed in 2015 and I believe "Bloom" is their second release.

I love the sound of this album---it was recorded completely in analogue and that difference can definitely be heard.  According to their bandcamp page, the band wanted it to sound as "live" as possible.  As far as my humble opinion is concerned, they pulled it off and then some. 

The production and mix has such a warm sound to it; the instruments envelope me in the way that few albums this year have. The songwriting is truly impressive. It is expansive and imaginative while not having any bloat to it. Everything is exactly where it should be, a process that results in smooth flowing music despite how formless it truly is.

I can't help but feel the music and the song titles go hand in hand.....maybe it's my imagination running wild but my explanations of why I think this way will also help explain why the songs are impressive so here it goes.

From my very limited understanding, "Carrera," is Spanish for race and its a brand from the Porsche automobile.  The beginning starts off with clean, repeating tones that are also laced with urgency....like cars gearing up for the beginning of a race.  As the race starts, the riffs push ever forward, offering a path to the end. The intensity ramps up, especially with the bass and drums, as the heat of the moment (race) reaches a climax. 

The middle part of the song is great, a funky movement of interesting drums and bass that takes the drivers seat. The serenity of the music creates an image in my brain of the racers in near perfect synchronization with each other as the race is so tight. 

"Suspense," begins more straightforward, the guitars acting as the initial focus but keeping the music atmospheric. As the suspension and tension builds, the riffs get more intense. The rhythm section takes a more direct approach as well, the bass and drums both providing much dense focus. 

The music offers trepidation as it rolls up and down across tempos and dynamics, offering up post layers among more metal oriented landscapes.

"Snjør" is the next song and it is Icelandic for snow. The mood in the beginning is light, innocent and hopeful. People often look at the coming of colder weather as a chance to spend long nights with loved ones or friendships. The first half of the song gives off the desire to bundle up against the chill in front of a warm fire around those who make us smile. But that light snow builds up to a thicker fall but still white and cleansing. 

A "Filament" could be described as a single threadlike object. The way the song unfolds is is indeed as if a thread was pulled. The beginning is deep base surrounded by warm, clean tones. It unfurls naturally from there, with the guitars taking a heavier path alongside the drums but the bass, the first part of the thread, is still there and pulling the song along with it. 

As the music builds upon it self and grows more tangled, I notice the instruments compliment each other more as a singular unit. An example of this is the part around the 4:45 mark when the drums and riffs both increases their energy at the same time. 

"Arrakis," ends the album with what I can only assume is an ode to the Dune universe. This is the heaviest and most sinister sounding song on the album.  Arrakis is obviously a dangerous planet so it only makes sense for the music to present that tone. Some of the most vibrant and hard driven bass is presented on this song but the guitars offer a lot of personality that adds dynamics to the song. 

Grindeye's "Bloom" is an album that remains consistently engaging from the first note to the last. It has many stories to tell and the depth for people to get different things out of it.

Altar Of Gore - Litanies of the Unceasing Agonies

Altar Of Gore is a death metal band from New Jersey who burst onto the scene with their 2017 demo, “New Jersey Metal Attack Vol. 2.”  “Litanies of the Unceasing Agonies,” is their second full-length album; they have also released two more splits, two demos, and a compilation.

“Litanies of the Unceasing Agonies,” is one of the nastiest and sickest albums I’ve heard all year.  Simply put, this is sick music for sick people and I’m right here for it.  The band’s moniker and cover art will tell you exactly what you get: 100% death metal.  The album is devoid of interludes, keys, ambient passages, clean vocals….this is nothing but dirty, nasty, litanies of rotten, moldy death.

The production is raw as a fresh corpse–it has a very live feel to it as if these decayed notes are being played right next to you.  With that being said, it isn’t the type of DIY production that makes it hard to listen or struggle to focus on any element of the instruments.  Actually, the production brings out the pain even more.  

The music often rides the line between brutal and groovy, allowing the music to pummel yet intricate enough that all the songs don’t blend together.  Thankfully, the disgusting guitar tone doesn’t block out the bass—it is just as essential.  The drums have a classic old school sound and even when they are blazing, their placement in the mix ensures that not even the fervent double bass takes up too much presence. 

The lead guitar, on occasion, supplies the atmosphere in what I can only assume is a form of melody—but it is every bit as caustic as the rest of the music.  The music isn’t dynamic so the melody offers very little respite—and that is just fine because this is a world of music that thrives in violence and knows exactly what makes the essence of the genre.   Here are a few of the highlights: 

The album opens with the aptly named “Introduction,” a short instrumental that leads perfectly into “Excoriation Prayers.”  This song is immediate and urgent with tight drums pushing the song into a short lead that, in turn, ramps up the energy even higher.  The death growls have just enough echo to them and they match the music for intensity.  The combination of this song and the intro make for quite the opening punch.

“Carrion Womb,” is one of my favorite songs on the album.  It displays a different side of the band, one of which is slower and more murky, at least in the beginning.  The middle portion of the song speeds up the tempo, offering a harrowing passage through mutilation.  The last part of the song brings it back to the slower tempo, the brutal music having plenty of time to sink in.

The title, and final, song of the album is the seven minute death dirge that caps off the album.  Whereas the first song was lighting fast, this one begins more doomy.  If anything, the slower approach makes the music even more impressive and dense.  The drums offer sudden bursts of speed throughout, ensuring the lumbering song never lingers for too long. 

Ultimately, if you don’t have an interest in death metal this isn’t going to change your mind.  However, if you do enjoy the genre (and why wouldn’t you?  Why are you reading this?) then it will be a reminder why the genre is so goddam uncompromising.

Baron - Beneath The Blazing Abysss

Baron is a death metal band from Finland who formed in 2015. After a couple EPs and a demo, the band is ready to unleash their full-length debut album "Beneath The Blazing Abyss." 

Baron's brand of death metal also consists of a lot of doom metal and even some hardcore elements. It's got a lot of variety, something that isn't often found in music this dark and heavy.  And heavy it is.  The band manages to create songs that are huge walls of sound yet they sound distinctive enough from each other that it doesn't become background noise. 

The variety that I mentioned before certainly helps with this.  The seven songs contained within the album's 44 minute rune time don't stick to just one tempo or style.  There will be a doom passage that is followed by fast as fuck death metal, that in of itself may be preceded by a hardcore style passage of unbridled rage and energy. 

The production and mix is mostly on point.  It's loud, but not overly, and the vibrancy of the instruments is brought to life pretty well.  I think it could use another layer of grime on top of it but it's not so much of an issue.  The important thing is the albums sounds as massive as the songwriting.

The album opens with "Primordial Possession," and its short build up to lumbering riffs and beefy drums/bass.  The guitars throw out riffs wholesale and each one crushes. The mid-paced tempo combines death and doom together without going too far into either side.   The song speeds up and slows down until the half way mark where riff after riff just slams over and over.  Truly brutal and uncompromising. 

"At The Dawn Of Damnation," begins with wild lead guitar throwing out crazy as the bass drums pounds the atmosphere into dust.  The song quickly settles into a slow, swampy dirge that is horrific as it is heavy.  This is one of the more dismal songs, at least in the beginning, but the faster paced death metal isn't hard behind.  Like a body throw into a grinder, the song chews and destroys as it blazes through to reach another slower, atmospheric point and it's in moments like this where the band really finds their stride.

We then come to my favorite song on the album, "Bound To The Funeral Pyres."  The deep, clean tones begin the song before sweltering guitars lays across the atmosphere, engaging and suffocating all at once (which is a great way to describe the album too).  The vocals are vicious and pair up with the rhythm like a well oiled death machine. The whole song is like a one giant bruise, that grows as the blood flows underneath the skin.  

The final song, "Swallowed By Fires Beneath," is a disturbing and atmospheric instrumental with drone elements.  It may not offer the same crushing tones of the previous songs but it's just as heavy in its own way.

Baron's "Beneath The Blazing Abyss," is sterling example of the power of extreme metal and a expert representation of how to combine different styles and tones into one huge wall of sound that remains distinctive throughout.  I don't give number reviews but if I did, this would get a 9. 

Cognitive - Abhorrence

Cognitive are a death metal band from New Jersey who formed in 2011.  Their latest album, "Abhorrence,” is their fifth full-length release.  They also released an EP in 212.

Cognitive certainly has an interesting sound.  Although rooted in death metal, they have modern deathcore elements as well, although much more well rounded and focused than most other bands that do the style.  They are also technical but it's still very much riff based as opposed to the “widdly wham” type of tech death.  

“Abhorrence,” is an album that lives within its dynamics and handles variety very well.  Melody, technicality, breakdowns, chug-a-thons, groove and straight up brutality all find a place within the album’s ten songs.  The energy is infectious and the pacing is perfect; there isn’t a second of filler.  Every song fits into the album’s overall style but each one sets itself apart from the others in that there is little monotony to be found.  

The vocals are just as engaging as the music.  I’m not so wild about the cleans but they aren’t bad and are really just another testament to Shane’s abilities.  Screams, gutturals, growls…this guy does it all and is constantly switching it up, often times being straight up visceral. 

The most impressive aspect of the album is the synergy between each member.  They exude a lot of confidence and know exactly what they need to do in the quest to prove their craft.  Rob Wharton and Harry Lannon are two of the best guitar duos in the modern scene, easily.  Tyler Capone-Vitale and Aj Viana are a true rhythmic power house.  The band has gone through its fair share of line-up changes but I hope the current incarnation stays together for a long time. 

The album opens with the title track and it is the soundtrack to being punched in the balls a thousand times. The guitars ebb and flow while the vocals just bust it out like there isn’t a tomorrow.  The drums are insane during the chorus and from here the song just. Doesn’t. Stop.  Machine-like precision but with a love for the genre drives the song ever forward but it’s the crushing riffs around the 2:22 that make it massive. 

“A Pack Unholy,” hits the ground running at the top speed of “something evil is chasing me and I need to get the fuck out of here to live.”  I love the groove and the rhythm is very strong, especially after the halfway mark where the band attempts to break through the sound barrier.  And how about those high screams right there?  Magnificent. 

A blazing guitar solo erupts from the chaos in “As The Light Fades,” one of the best songs on the album.  The song is quite atmospheric without succumbing to any of the tropes to make it so.  The guitars provide deep deathcore riffs but suddenly switch gears at the drop of the hat.  The clean tones near the last quarter of the song fit in with the atmosphere and are a clever addition to the song. The solo that comes from it is stunning and surprisingly beautiful. 

Nearly the exact opposite is “Containment Breach,” which is a three minute ode to everything that makes death metal so great. It is definitely one of the heavier and more intense songs on the album, which says a lot.  

“Rorshach,” is another one of my favorites on the album.  The beginning and end are riff fests and chaos incarnate but the song gets truly special at the 2:56 mark as the melody creeps in.  The clean rhythm behind the solo make for an emotive combination and I find it to be one of the highlights on the album.

The final song, “Cold Dead Hands,” ends the album on the same explosive note as it began, bringing it all full circle and capping it off nice and tight.  

I’ve been seeing people compare this to Cattle Decapitation but this is better than anything that band has done in years.  With “Abhorrence,” Cognitive has manage to craft a searing death metal album with a modern edge without losing any of the genre's potency.  

Strychnos - Armageddon Patronage

Strychnos is a black/death metal band from Denmark who formed in 1998.  Their latest album, “Armageddon Patronage,” is their second full-length album.  They have also released two demos, an EP and a compilation. 

I haven’t heard their first album (yet) but I’m definitely a fan now because “Armageddon Patronage,” is a beast of an album.  It’s dark, grim, pulverizing and has such an incredibly hellish atmosphere.  In that respect it somewhat reminds me of Immolation’s “Harnessing Ruin,” in that the atmosphere is just as important as any other element of the song but it exists as such an integral part that it still envelops the songs as a cohesive force. 

It’s a methodical album to many degrees, incorporating elements that some bands this extreme might not be able to pull off quite as well.  Similar to the new Heresiarch album “Edifice,” the songs incorporate some doom elements that turn the songs into even more uncompromising journeys.   But Strychnos go a step further as their sound is even darker, murkier, and just straight up filthy.  There is a certain charm to the atmosphere, despite how utterly hopeless it seems to be.

The album comes roaring in like a spreading fire with “Winds Warning The Final Storm.”  The slower pacing lets the crush creep in like an unstoppable living force.  The vocals are depravity incarnate, a herald of things not meant to ever be seen.  The song steadily builds towards what amounts to the music version of an earthquake.  A hell of a way to open the album but it's just getting started. 

The title track brings in an immediate bulldozer of a rift with the brutality of death metal but the searing venom of black metal.  The depraved vocals pull an nearly incomparable essence through the twisted passages.  Around the 2:07 mark, the rhythm guitar hammers it in before turning into some kind of demonic tornado. 

“Pale Black Birds,” is one of my favorite songs on the album.  I really like the pacing of the song and how it begins with dark clean tones.  The solo that gives birth from them is natural and surprisingly moving.  The build up is masterful and by the time the song kicks into high gear, the grimy darkness is unstoppable.  The last minute or so uses melody in a very sinister way, capping off everything in a way only this album could.

The final song “Nattevandreriden,” is a dirge made of slower to mid paced tempos mixed with starling bursts of speed.  The band’s special touch of melody heightens the atmosphere greatly, almost like a death metal with a shade of gothic misanthropy.  The rapid fire drumming  that cut under the guitar solo that builds into insanity while the blackened death creates a tempest is one of the best moments on the album.

Strychnos’ “Armageddon Patronage,” is an utterly impressive album that is constantly pushing itself beyond the edge of extremity.  The way the band has mixed in styles, melody and atmosphere into this huge miasma of death is fascinating. 

Darkness Everywhere - To Conquer Eternal Damnation

Darkness Everywhere is a melodic death metal band from Oakland, California who formed in 2020.  “To Conquer Eternal Damnation,” is their debut full-length album but they released an EP in 2022. 

The band’s sound incorporates thrash metal as well.  They balance speed and aggression with tight control over melodic textures.  Speaking of tight, this album is just 27 minutes long across ten songs.  There is no fat, nor filler, and every available second is used to push the album forward.  It’s focused, very well written, and does what it needs to do then leaves.  However, coming back to the album is very easy not only because of it’s shorter runtime but simply because the songs are that good. 

Overall, “To Conquer Eternal Damnation,” takes a classic approach to melodic death but that isn’t the only path the album treads. Their sound is wrapped but in a modern display of fervent metal that harkens back to a time when melody didn’t mean the music couldn’t be hard as hell.  

The album opens with “Retaliation,” and it’s thrash metal tempo.  The throaty vocals scream out anguish and guile while the music pushes itself towards a melodic segment that is catchy as hell.  The following solo is great too, one that is made up of emotion and actual notes instead of a bunch of flashy widdly wham. 

The title track begins fast as hell but very quickie opens its doors to melodic leanings that branch off the riffs in a natural way.  After the halfway point, a melodic romp bangs out the song until the end, the band having a firm grasp on providing an extreme sound with hooks.

“Starving Eyes,” begins the final half of the album with a galloping march of deadly precision.  The drums are especially important here, crisp and clear but on point with deadly accuracy.   The bass slaps hard too, unafraid to step away from behind the guitars and let itself provide that important low end backbone.

“Into The Unknown” adds in a bit of melancholic tapestry in the opening moments, using it as a base for the rest of the song to jump from.  It all sounds very smooth and ensures the song is a constant head banger. 

The final song, “The Tragedy of Infinite Loss,” also provides a bit of misery to the melodic thrash of the riffs but this song focuses on the lead guitar to highlight all the other instruments around it.  The band has excellentsynergy together despite how new they are to the scene but it pays off because this is my favorite song on the album.  

All in all, Darkness Everywhere’s “To Conquer Eternal Damnation,” is a solid example of the state of modern melodic death by a band that is already showing a lot of promise.  It is an album very focused on song writing and is enjoyable from start to finish, with no tracks that need to be skipped. This is a short but entertaining ride that is well worth many return visits.

Dååth - The Deceivers

Dååth is a death metal band from Atlanta, Georgia who formed in 2003. Their latest full-length album, “The Deceivers,” is the band's fifth and their first in 14 years!

I've been a fan of them for a long time now and never thought they would ever release another album again! 

For those unfamiliar, the band's extreme sound is dynamic. Elements of progressive, groove, melodic and industrial have graced their albums. “The Deceivers” expands upon their symphonic elements. 

Thankfully these elements don't take away from their intensity; this is symphonic metal more along the lines of Septicflesh and Fleshgod Apocalypse than Epica and Nightwish.

Sole original member guitarist Eyal Levi returns alongside longtime vocalist Sean Zatorsky but the entire band is on another level.

The album actually does an impressive job of combining all eras of the band so even while It is being a fresh piece of new music, it acts as both an overview of their career and am excellent entry level point for new fans.  The years absent doesn't seem so long now. 

The album opens with “No Rest No End,” which is dynamic from the start with clean instrumentation that quickly gives way to fast paced symphonics, thick bass and riffs for days.

Around the 1:30 make, the choppy riffs and mad barking vocals bring alive a special sort of brutality. From the halfway point, the guitars let loose soaring solos before going into a crazy progressive laced movement.

“Ascension” is a massive song—the super tight, rapid, and focused speed attack works wonderfully with the symphonics The later half of the song, especially near the end, is a rifftastic nightmare with exceptional drumming.  The symphonics are as energetic and urgent as the rest of the instruments and it all comes together at the 3:01 mark and builds up spectacularly throughout the rest of the song.

“The Silent Foray” is the longest song on the album at 6:43 and the highly of it all for me.  The riffs are balanced between crushing and groovy, as are the drums. The cadence of the vocals are catchy as hell, perfect for the riffs to work from as they are thrown out left and right. Around the 4:41 mark the band gets a little theatrical for a brief pause before finishing out with a sweltering atmosphere. Per Nilsson of SCARY SYMMETERY is featured as well and he does, as expected, a bang up job. 

Another highly is “Purified By Vengeance,” which melds their sound to the wall and represents what the album is all about—while destroying from beginning to end.  The drums and bass are particularly robust, especially during the mid section when the symphonic textures highlight the instruments like a bolt of lighting flashing up the sky. 

“Into Forgotten Dirt,”  gets more intense as it moves along.  The beginning is held together by dense riffs and flashes of speed from the drums.  The symphonics are almost whimsical and playful but they never take away from the darkness.  

All in all, Dååth have released a banger of an album that as exciting as it is energetic. Hopefully, they stick around for now and give us a another album soon.

Shroud of Despondency/LanzerRath split

LanzerRath is a black metal band from Michigan who formed in 2018; they have released four full-length albums to date.  Shroud of Despondency is a black metal band from Michigan/Wisconsin who formed in 1999; they have released seventeen full-length albums among numerous EPs, demos, live albums and splits.

These two diabolical bands have come together for a split album consisting of three songs and a 40 minute run time.  That is a decent amount of time for a split but, thankfully, it is well worth the time to invest.   LanzerRath provides one song, the nearly 20  minute epic “Nebular Collapse:  The Dissolution of Order and Meaning,” and SoD offer the first two tracks.

On the surface, the two bands couldn’t be more different.  Shroud of Despondency plays a more theatrical and off the beaten path approach for their brand of blackened darkness.  LanzerRath, who I was not familiar with before receiving this review promo, is a much more raw, bleak take on the genre.  

But the two bands pair well as they both offer a long form approach to blackened songwriting, stuffing each song to the gills with a lot of great ideas.

The opening song, “The Source of Multiversal Degradation,” is immediately sprawling, offering cleverly arranged keys that are boosted by heavy footed double bass and riffs that are deep in tone.  As always, SoD reveal themselves to be a very musical band, meaning they adapt and make each part of their song compliment the other.  This results in an epic song that is tightly written and performed. The song sounds unhinged during several moments, such as during the guitar solo around the 3:46 mark or the wild but highly effective clean vocals that begin at the 5:46 mark.  

The band also provides the next song, “Celestial Venom,” which starts more straightforward and focused on speed.  The riffs are, well, venomous but the band still provides a layer of imaginative soundscapes.  The movement from 3:43 to 6:00 is particularly wild, with the harrowing riffs and blackened shrieks that lead into a spacey atmosphere highlighted by clean keys and melodic leads.

The final song, LanzerRath's “Nebular Collapse:  The Dissolution of Order and Meaning,” is sprawling in its own right and the production is noticeably more raw.  However, their song is barbaric and unrelenting so the production not only works but it is definitely needed.   The song’s use of clean instrumentation is well integrated into the song, offering a despondent and detached atmosphere especially when paired with the blackened vocals.

The middle portion is musically slower and methodical compared to the beginning but quickly ramps up with some of the best riffs on the album. The final five minutes or so of the track are my favorite.  It goes from all out speed and aggression to a darker, cavernous romp with low riffs and terrifying vocals.

I’m glad to see more and more splits being released in the last few years because they are a great way to introduce fans to bands they might not know and usually offer variety between whomever is playing.  This split in particular is fantastic; I don’t think any song is better than the other as both bands provide very well written black metal songs.    

Wingless - Ascension

Wingless is a death/doom band from Poland, who released their first album back in 2014.  Their latest album, “Ascension,” is their fifth full-length album.

This is my first time hearing the band’s music but it immediately grabbed my attention.  Their brand of death metal contains a lot of doom influences but they aren’t afraid to play mid-paced or even speed the tempo up even further.  The atmosphere is dirty, grimy and quite cavernous, which is the three things you want to hear in doomed out death metal.  

The rhythm section is very strong—the bass is like a tank, it rumbles along every forward and shakes the ground the entire time.   The drums are more intricate than I thought they would be–it isn’t nonstop blast beats or playing as fast as possible.  There is much care and concern placed upon the drums and the songs are all the better for it.

The guitars are varied; everything dense and miserable to groove can be found here, giving the songs more variety and dynamics than I anticipated.   The vocals are excellent, perfect example of how to deliver a deep death growl that’s still intelligible to a degree. 

The album opens with “The Ascension (after the Light)” which starts off with murky, clean tones that quickly develop into a low rumble.  The riffs sound unstoppable—and they are.  Around the 1:25 mark, a crushing groove develops and sends the band into a frenzy of double bass.  The mid-segment is slightly melodic, or what amounts to melody for this band.  It’s just enough to highlight the crushing misery.

“The Soul Raiser,” and it’s cacophony of drums get the song off to a harrowing start.  The cadence of the vocals against the riffs is like a death march.  The solo is simple but well integrated into the song, highlighting the music around it while adding it’s own layers. Near the end of the song, the lead guitar once again brings the doom while the rest of the band hammers the song into oblivion.

WINGLESS speeds up the tempo for “Stronger Than Death,” which is fast and loose in the beginning then tightens up for a mid-paced groove afterwards. The drums are the MVP of the song, when they focus up the energy and oppressive heaviness become palpable. 

The album is consistent all the way though, as the final half the album showcases.  “Only The Graves Will Remain,” is a straight up banger with a lot of old school fervor.  The bass and drums put it all out on the line with a sterling performance that is as towering as the guitars are dense and dark. 

The final song, “Into The Unknown,” is a creepy and unnerving outro.  After the brutality of the first eight tracks, this might come off as a respite but it only further pulls the mind apart, not allowing the brain to truly understand what it just heard. 

Wingless’ “Ascension,” is a nice mid-year surprise for me and it made me a fan of the band.  Anyone a fan of dismal and despondent death metal or extreme doom will find nothing to complain about here and get an album that is worth jamming many times.

Sunset Forsaken - Novembryonal Echoes

Sunset Forsaken is a melodic death/doom project from Ukraine, formed in 2018. It is a one-man band, the musician behind it being Andriy Tolok, the very same musician from the black metal project Haissem. 

“Novembryonal Echoes,” is the project's third full-length album.  I reviewed the previous album, “85 Nerves,” and found it to be a solid album that represented melodic/death doom well. However, I think with “Novembryonal Echoes,” Tolok has found his footing for this style.

The production this time around is much more vibrant–the melodies and hormones stick out more.  The riffs and rhythm section have a lot more weight to it.  This album’s sound is exactly how melodic death/doom should sound—heavy but not so much the melodies didn’t grab my ears. 

Musically, the five songs have a lot of depth to them and will require multiple listens.  I don’t see that to mean the music is complicated but, rather, there are a lot of details in these songs that I didn’t catch the first time around.  Thankfully, the music is so well written that I wanted to  listen to it again and again, regardless.

I do get a more of a blackened vibe throughout the album too, especially in the vocals.  I think the approach works pretty well and lends the songs a bit more bite this time around.

A lot of the guitar work is absolutely fantastic. The opening lead guitar melodies on “Echo I - Viral Sorrow” are catchy as hell and have an unique contrast against the low doom riffs.  The way this song, and the album as a whole, unfurls is surprisingly smooth so the long song structures pass through with ease.  My favorite part of the song is a huge blackened scream that leads into a sorrowful dirge that would bring a grown man to tears.  The passage is just funeral enough to pull on the heart strings but catchy enough that I was banging my head through the tears. 

"Echo II - Suspiria De Profundis" is eleven minutes long and it is epic all the way through.  The bass slaps and is the star of the song.  The drums compliment the song well and together with the bass, a strong foundation exists throughout for the often gorgeous melodies to do their thing.  The rhythm guitar is dense, keeping the song firmly on the heavier side even with everything else going on.  Tolok’s vocals are haunting but just gritty enough for a blackened death rasp that adds a lot of energy to the music. 

“Echo III - Thrones of Woe/Slow Motion Sadness” is one of my favorite songs on the album.  The bass is very oppressive but the clean guitar in the opening falls like drops in the rain, wetting the landscape but doing nothing to abate what is to come.  The vocals seem to play off the guitar, an exciting combo that pushes the song ever forward. The atmosphere grows dense in the song’s mid section as the double bass adds a rumble of destructiveness that both drives against and compliments the melodies.  The last few minutes of the song meld beauty and numbing sorrow together as melancholic tapestries. 

“Echo IV - Molten In Endless Oblivion,” begins with a very moving acoustic/clean intro that fits in just fine with the doom that follows.  The vocal patterns are clever, making this song the one that was stuck in my head the most. I love how the melodies keep rising along side the extreme screams.  It all breaks against a flurry of drums and around the 4:22 mark the song changes to slow and menacing.  It builds back up nicely as the double bass pushes the melodies against the grain of the vocals until the song ends in a brief but beautiful acoustic moment that leads into a stupendous guitar solo. 

The last song, “Echo V - Forsaken Till Eschaton,” is more direct—by the time the minute and a half mark passes, the song is massive and oppressive.  As the five minute mark approaches, clean spoken word pushes through the dense forest of doom and it is a nice little touch.  From the 7:40 mark to the end, the drums and bass uptick the tempo and aggression.

“Novembryonal Echoes,” is one of my favorite albums that Andriy has been a part of and a sterling example of how doom can be beautiful and moving while still being gripping and downtrodden. 

Doubtsower - Nothing Reduced To Everything

Doubtsower is a one-man-band from Cardiff (Wales, UK) that plays experimental doom.  “Nothing Reduced To Everything,” is the project’s third full-length album.  The musician behind this mad but engaging brand of doom is Matt Strangis, who also plays bass for doom legends Pantheist and produces experimental electronic music under the allies “Kyam.” 

“Nothing Reduced To Everything,” is easily the most unique and out there doom album I have heard so far this year.  Honestly, when I first received the promo, I wasn’t sure if this was something I would like.  But I didn’t get myself, or the band, enough credit.  Simply put, this album is absolutely fantastic.

Yes, it is weird.  It is out there.  It takes the lines of doom and not only does it step outside those boundaries but it completely destroys them.  But it’s also the definition of true underground music, doom or otherwise.  It is raw, uncompromising to the 10th degree and has a major DIY atmosphere to it that only adds to its charm.  While the experimental aspects are wild, this is still definitely a doom metal album but it also blends in blackened, post-metal, stoner and electronic experimentation.  The notes I received for the album described it as “a non-purist, yet reverential, take on doom metal.”  That is pretty damn accurate.   Oh and Esoteric’s Greg Chandler mastered the album so it sounds great and every strange detail is as vibrant and dynamic as the music itself.

The album opens with “Trampled Ideals Sold Cut-Price,’ and what I can only describe as a “mechanical storm” opens the song before giving way to clean tones.  Any good doom album has a fantastic bass for that heavy low end and this one is no different.  I love how the bass sounds so deep, perfect for lying just under the clean tones.   Electronic drum loops (I guess that is what they are called, I am definitely not familiar with the terms for electronic music) fills the background while death growls pierce through the veil.  It somehow words and is oddly satisfying to have these loops mixed in.  The electronic elements increase as sweltering funeral doom riffs suffocate the air.  Despite this oppressive layer, all the different sounds still shine through—a true mixture of styles. 

“Liars Cheers All,” is cavernous, what with the bass and growls hammering away while some weird noise that I can’t describe other than “deep bouncing” ricochets off the doom. The middle portion of the song switches from harrowing mountains of doom to a beautiful clean section that took me by surprise but at this point, nothing should be off the table. As this passage grows, it becomes stoner/psychedelic before fading to clean tones that, in turn, grow back into monster levels of heavy.   

As a “shorter” song, the title track is one the more direct songs on the album but direct is used very liberally here.  The simple usage of what I think is a clock ticking away adds a sense of urgency to the song even when the first half is slow, clean tones.  But time soon runs out when that doom hammer drops once again—truly this is a straight up fine example of how to do extreme doom.  As the song progresses, it grows more unhinged and disconnected.  Hmm..not so direct after all!  I was listening to this with some decent headphones and I thought my head was being sucked into a black hole.  That’s right.

I pulled my head out of the black hole but only to find it vibrant to the point of near implosion because of the rumbling and spacey intro to “Collective Sigh.”  This intro lasts about 1:48 seconds long and it is rather unnerving.  Some of the best riffs on the album appear after but the clean, almost alien tones, keep going.  The mixture is maddening, in a good way.  Trippy, heavy, experimental.  I would say this song is one of the best examples of the sound Matt was going for for the album.  The middle portion is off beat with masterful use of clean guitar and a killer solo…somehow it all sounds off kilter…again, in a good way.  The last few minutes are Esoteric mixed with Pink Floyd and I’m right here for it.  

“Exhausting Demands of Decency,” is one of the more atmospheric songs on the album, letting the post influences through.  This song is truly disturbing sounding and it should have been on the soundtrack to a crazy movie like Event Horizon.  It’s horrific, spacey, and there is no way to know what’s around the corner.  By the time the death growls kick in, I was already exhausted from my brain melting down out of fear but the extremity of the vocals work so well with the music that my fear just doubled.   I’ve only heard a few bands that I could describe as “frightening” and this song is definitely that.

Probably not surprising but parts of the final song, “The Burnt Witch Of Civilized Behaviour,” remind me of Pantheist because of how perfectly weaved into the fabric of the songs the keys are. The first half of the song is a mixture of weird soundscapes and out there textures that still sound cohesive and coherent in context of the song.  The heavy guitar is there as well and if anything this song really shows how well even a genre as despondent as doom metal can be mixed with more unconventional avenues. 

Doubtsower’s “Nothing Reduced To Everything,” is a truly unique, imaginative, and unconventional album that tries to make a lot of things works–and nails it every damn time.  This is one album that absolutely needs to be experienced, regardless of what style of music you like. 

Heavy Temple - Garden of Heathens

There is heavy.  And there is Heavy Temple.  Of course, what makes a band heavy is very subjective.  With that being said, it is hard to imagine anyone listening to this band’s second full-length album “Garden of Heathens,” and not thinking that the sounds they heard were the audio equivalent of molten lead being poured into their ears.  

The band is “just” a three piece but they bring more to the table than many bands that have double, or even triple, those numbers.  The MVP of the album is no doubt High Priestess NightHawk, who provides both bass and vocals. That’s a hell of a name to call yourself but she’s a hell of a vocalist and bassist.  Her instrumental prowess alone brings in a dimensional weight to their music that is as heavy as the gravitational pull of the sun.

I’ve always been a straight up sucker for female vocals, especially in doom.  Gender doesn’t matter but I’ll be damned if women don’t have an extra power over doom metal.  There is just something about a powerful voice over liquid molten riffs that speaks to me.  Doesn’t speak to you?  Get some hearing aids.

While definitely rooted in doom, the band incorporates traditional metal, stoner and even psychedelic elements into their varied wheelhouse. I appreciate they aren't afraid to inject some faster tempos here and there—despite popular belief, doom doesn't always have to be slow.

The production/mix is pretty even across the board; every instrument gets its time to shine and nothing tries to overpower anything else.  I don’t go every song on most album’s but this one is so good I’m going to say a little something about each one.

The album opens with “Extreme Difference To Life,” and the drums are so goddamn groovy and are in incredible surgery with the flow and feel of the song. The riffs are THICK And just as groovy; they don't miss a beat and fill up every available space.  The last couple minutes feature a blistering performance of the whole band rocking out like beasts.

“Hiraeth,” has catchy vocal lines and the bass will knock you flat on your ass.  The song builds up in a subtle way—by the end of it, the head  is bruised from all the head banging.  The last minute of the song is pretty intense, especially with the wild guitar and explosive drums.

“Divine Indiscretion,” has heavy stoner vibes and a rock n roll aesthetic.  Around the 2:32 mark, the song speeds up with crisp, tight drumming.  The psychedelic guitars form in and out of a solo with little effort right before the band turns up the doom groove to notch 11.  This mid portion is wild, dizzying, and a hell of a jam session. 

 “House Of Warship,” builds up like the slow burn dirge it is.  This song is low, slow and a constant rumble that threatens to shake itself apart.  The fuzz alone will get you.  The tempo kicks up near the end with another clever guitar solo that beats the notes into you while the drums hammer them, making sure nothing escapes.

One of my favorite songs on the album is “Snake Oil (and other remedies).”  I love the melancholic opening that is more of a long intro.  As it builds, the tension and energy continues to build up. The band loves their instrumental jam session and I do too.  The vocals kick in around the halfway point and from there the song really kicks into gear. 

The title track is more of an interlude, a clean instrumental that bridges the gap to my favorite song on the album, “Jesus Wept.”  The lead guitar is really impressive in how it drives the song forward in its own opening moments.  The vocals are expressive and soar above the notes just before the song turns up the heavy factor–insanely gut punching especially just after the halfway mark where it seems the fuzz just creeps in through the ears and takes over. 

The last song, “Psychomanteum,” is a banger of an instrumental that incorporates the essence of their sound and reminds me of some of the stuff from early material by THE SWORD but better.  

Everything about this album is basically perfect.  There are riffs for days, courtesy of the unstoppable Christian Lopez.  Add in the tight and energetic drums of Baron Lycan that are second to none and you get a great album that absolutely smokes. Doom doesn’t get much better than this.

Stoner Head - Running High

STONERHEAD’s brand of stoner doom metal is an absolute blast.  The band's second full-length album, "Running High,” is an album that has a ton more energy than most bands of this style.  Of course, there are riffs for days as well—just a metric ton of groove is laden across the album like a blanket of hot lead.  

A large percentage of my music jamming time takes place in my car. For anyone driving behind me while playing this album, I must have looked possessed because I was non-stop banging to the non-stop riffs from this German band.  

What is most impressive about the album is the atmosphere they generate. This band is super confident in their sound and it really can be heard—there is a definite swagger to everything they do and they back it up tenfold.

Phil's and Christian's riffs flow like magma from a volcano and there is no doubt to their ability to play the strings, their fingers weaving their magic. From rock to stoner to doom, their styles offers a varied approach for the genre. Phil's vocals are on point too. The stoner genre isn't well known for vocal prowess but his pipes soar through the air and are quite expressive.

Anna and Igor are an explosive rhythm machine and keep this well oiled machine running while simultaneously compliment the songs and providing ultra intense layers. I'll go over a few of my favorite songs and moments below.

The album opens up with the steady beat of “Someone Please.” The vocal cadence is catchy as hell. The dense riffs are heavy as a plenty but flow smooth as a stream. The lead guitar near the end adds a psychedelic element to the song and it works great especially the ending groove.

“Super Mario” is an album highlight—it does so many wonderful things. The opening is long and even a little atmospheric due to the bass and drums. The smattering Of guitar licks lend the song a hazy, shamanic vibe with the smoky vocals bring it home. I love how the song ebbs and flows between the tribal-like stoner segments and heavier guitar. This is one tripped out and memorable song.

How could I not talking about the final song, “Tweaky Mind?” This beast is nearly 11 minutes long and caps off the album perfectly. Anna's powerful voice is commanding In the beginning. Her approach is expressive and almost sultry But even a little haunting.  Near the halfway point Phil and the boys jump in. The tempo is increased but the songs opening atmosphere is retained. The last couple minutes are a psychotic bulldozer that twists the mind even while flattening It.

All in all, “Running High” Displays how powerful this brand of metal/doom/rock can be. The band's love for their style and their instrumental prowess shines through the entire runtime.