This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from The Absolution Sequence, Abyssal Rift, Cutthroat, Dead Tired, Glu, Holissstik, Megascavenger, Only Echoes, Raunchy, Saliva, Storm Force and Trench Warfare.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
The Absolution Sequence – Dread Cycle (Self)
Dread Cycle is the debut album from Australian technical death metal group The Absolution Sequence, preceded by a bevy of singles and EPs over the last decade. Though they’ve inhabited a groove/death metal sound before, their music has taken steps towards the technical side. This benefits bassist Alastair Boon greatly, as he can be clearly heard all over this record.
The Absolution Sequence doesn’t get lost in repeating waves of nonsensical solos or complicated songwriting, emphasizing atmospheric directions at many points in the album. This keeps the album from falling apart in its second half where the longest songs reside. It’s taken over 10 years for the band to get to this point, which was not spent in vain for Dread Cycle.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Abyssal Rift – Relics Of Great Ash (Transcending Obscurity)
Abyssal Rift are one of those bands that immediately catches you off guard. The album begins and you think, “Alright, a relentless death metal assault is upon us,” only to find yourself dragged into a ritualistic abyss of ancient doom, cosmic terror, and apocalyptic psychological horror.
Relics Of Great Ash, the band’s second studio album, walks proudly in the footsteps of the genre’s pioneers. It carries the torch of classic death/doom metal through the same sinister corridors that have haunted the underground for over three decades. Across 36 minutes of crushing death metal, touched by funeral doom and sharpened by subtle blackened death metal momentum, the album delivers an oppressive and ancient sense of darkness. But does Relics Of Great Ash offer anything that dozens of other death/doom bands haven’t already given this year; or any year? No. But does it keep you immersed and eagerly engaged until its final moments? Absolutely. And sometimes, that is more than enough.
Rating: 3.5
(Arash Khosronejad)
Cutthroat – The Purge (M-Theory)
Based in L.A., the hardcore crew Cutthroat‘s lineup also includes a couple of members from Brazil. They follow up 2023’s Fear By Design with the 5-song EP The Purge.
Their metallic hardcore base is augmented by elements of thrash, and they also inject sound bites at the beginning of several songs. The songs are catchy with plenty of bile and attitude and move mostly at a midtempo pace. Songs like “Sick One” and “Feeling Disconnected” are solid, with The Purge a nice appetizer for Cutthroat’s next full-length.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Dead Tired – Hornets Of Fall (New Damage)
The Canadian hardcore band Dead Tired are fronted by Alexisonfire’s George Pettit and have been doing their thing for over a decade now. Their latest album is Hornets Of Fall.
There’s plenty of variety, from doomy riffs at the beginning “Edge Of Entropy” to the breakneck pace of “Bad Thoughts” to mellow, twangy moments in “Dust Storm.” Pettit’s vocals range from foreboding to throat-shredding, adding even more diversity to the proceedings. The dozen tracks on Hornets Of Fall are focused and direct, with Dead Tired delivering the goods with purpose and top-notch execution.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Glu – Pony Boy (FLG)
Glu is the solo project of Michael Shuman (Queens Of The Stone Age, Mini Mansions). The four-song EP Pony Boy has a very poppy flavor. There is a fuzzy feeling created by the music here and it is perhaps too light to behold. The tunes sound very commercial and groovy, but lack a metallic bite. There is a fun feeling to the songs, but they are perhaps a bit too light and airy.
As the EP develops, it gets a bit more interesting, but nothing overly compelling. The musicianship is sufficient, but nothing overly phenomenal showing a band with a style that is unusual, yet accessible. There is nothing overly inventive here and it starts to drag, even though it’s only four songs. The songs are decent, but they lack drive and make this work somewhat disappointing.
Rating: 2.5
(Adam McAuley)
Holissstik – Chapter 1: This Endless Solitude (Season Of Mist)
Manes mastermind Tor-Helge Skei helped advance black metal in the ’90s, and has expanded his horizons with numerous other projects over the years. They range from extreme metal to experimental. His latest project is Holisstik, with Chapter 1: This Endless Solitude showcasing numerous guest musicians. These guests are actually collaborators, given the freedom to create their own parts.
That includes his Lethe bandmate Anna Murphy (Eluveitie, Cellar Darling), Martyna Halas (Rage Of Light), Rune Folgero (Atrox), Tom Christian Engelsoy (Drontheim) and many more. The songs are melancholy and electronic-based, utilizing genres ranging from trip hop to rock to jazz to metal to avant-garde. There are lyrics in English, French, Polish, Italian and Pali. Chapter 1: This Endless Solitude is mellow and adventurous, closer to Aphex Twin than Manes, which may not appeal to extreme metal fans. But for those who appreciate the unique and avant-garde, Holisstik may be right up your alley.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Megascavenger – Toxic Noxious Undeath (Xtreem)
From a country as happy as Sweden, year after year bands like Megascavanger and their latest release Toxic Noxious Undeath prove that sometimes music is the best therapy. Prolific guitarist Rogga Johansson utilizes a wide array of guest vocalists across the album such as Kam Lee of Massacre and Peter Svensson of Void Moon, It’s a putrid feast for fans of the genre and Megascavenger.
“Graveyard Dreams and Bonehouse Screams” opens the doors wide and gets the ball rolling with its blistering energy and grim vocals. The rest of the album follows suit and just keeps going till the very end, suitable for any fans of the genre or just a casual listen through. The different guest spots on each track do provide a nice minor diversity in what can easily be a very repetitive sound.
Rating: 3
(Dalton Husher)
Only Echoes – Born Adrift (Self)
Only Echoes doesn’t go to the extreme with flashiness with their instrumental music on Born Adrift, sticking to the basics of metal where riffs rule supreme. The times where a lead guitar takes over is minimal, as are any unnecessary frills. The closest the group steps away from their plan is the two-minute “Inter,” coming off as a pleasant interlude with its use of synths.
The cathartic release at the end of “Tempest” gets its message across as well as any lyric could, especially since it takes almost eight minutes to get to that point. There are faster tempos on Born Adrift to throw off a listener, including on the title track and “Shimmering Death.” Only Echoes know not to overstay their appearance, with six songs and 35 minutes the right length for this debut album.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Raunchy – Prisoner (Mighty)
After a 12-year gap between albums, and various stints elsewhere, Raunchy return to Mighty Music – the same label that first put them on record back in 2001 – for the release of Prisoner. The Danish mob seem refreshed and reenergized after a lengthy break, too.
The group’s sound fuses melo-death, groove metal, metalcore and industrial, with proggy touches throughout. Think a soundscape-heavy fusion of Soilwork, Strapping Young Lad, Ghost and Fear Factory, and you’re not far away. Huge synths and even bigger choruses abound, while a two-pronged vocal attack remains potent. The arena-sized hooks that littered albums such as 2004’s Confusion Bay are present in spades on songs like “Frostbite,” “Darkest Self” and “Designed Despair.” The strikingly melodic, almost rock-radio ready title track also closes the record in efficient style. There’s nothing new here, and perhaps a cut or two could have been culled. But Prisoner is slickly executed and well-produced fare, and boasts several memorable tunes.
Rating: 3.5
(Brendan Crabb)
Saliva – Breaking Through (Judge & Jury)
Veteran rockers Saliva have now been around for three decades. Their big breakthrough was 2001’s platinum Every Six Seconds which spawned hits like “Your Disease” and “Click Click Boom.” After the 2023 passing of guitarist Wayne Swinny, there are no original members remaining. Bobby Amaru has fronted the band for about 15 years, and that’s the case on their latest effort Breaking Through.
There are plenty of radio-friendly singles, such as “Cope,” which features Thousand Foot Krutch’s Trevor McNevan, “Edge Of A Knife” and the power ballad “Peace Of Mind.” Another guest is Lynyrd Skynrd’s Johnny Van Zant, whose southern rock style gives “Longshot” a unique vibe. Saliva’s songwriting on Breaking Through is laser focused with no song surpassing the four-minute mark, and several clocking in at under three minutes. Maximum hooks and minimal filler make it an album ripe for replay.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Storm Force – Truth (Bravewords)
Truth is the sophomore album from the Canadian band Storm Force, formed by guitarist Greg Fraser of Brighton Rock fame. The music takes a leaf out of bands such as Dokken or Bon Jovi. In other words, this is song-oriented mainstream hard rock that’s not going to make you bowl over. Despite that, these songs are written and delivered with panache and the band is clearly making a concerted effort to be noticed..
Some snapshots of the album: the pulsating riffs and lyrics of “Fire Starter” strongly hint at AC/DC. The ballad “I Wasn’t Finished Loving You” feels a tad boring to be honest. “Karma’s A Bitch” and the title track boast good strong melodies. Overall the album’s lead vocals are solid and the sound is polished without losing its hard rock edge.
Rating: 3.5
(Chris Galea)
Trench Warfare – Achtung! Destroy The Weak (Conjuring)
Hailing from the Texas deserts, Trench Warfare emerged just over a decade ago and released their debut full-length Hatred Prayer in 2019. Seven years later, the black/death metal group unleash chtung! Destroy The Weak.
If one squints hard enough, there is an attempt at capturing the ‘war is hell’ trope from similar bands like 1914 and Kanonenfieber are known for, but it misses the mark just a bit. It is by no means a bad sounding album, in fact the instrumentation checks all the aggressive black metal boxes that fans would love. The subject and themes of war are very appealing to those in the genre, but it takes a kind of finesse that Trench Warfare just does not have.
Rating: 3
(Dalton Husher)
