Heavy Music HQ Reviews: Week of February 23, 2024

This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include reviews of albums from Amaranthe, The Body & Dis Fig, Borknagar, Darkest Hour, Dust Bolt, Hand Of Kalliach, Iron Curtain, M.U.T.T., Persher, Stiriah, Stygian Crown, Toxikull, Traveler and Vincent Crowley.

The ratings are on a 5 star scale.

Amaranthe – The Catalyst (Nuclear Blast)

Amaranthe separate themselves from the glut of power metal bands by employing a hydra-headed, triple lead vocal lineup. If you’ve ever wondered what Dragonforce might sound like if Lzzy Hale and Opeth’s Mikael Akerlfelt signed on, Amaranthe gets you close. Beyond this unique vocal approach, Amaranthe also stand out by employing concise song structures atypical of metal this symphonic, with the 12 main tracks clocking in at just about 40 minutes, along with extremely memorable choruses.

Their latest release, The Catalyst, finds long-standing vocalists Elize Ryd and Nils Molin joined by new growler Mikael Sehlin. Ryd does most of the heavy lifting here, her soaring voice searing the melodies of “Insatiable” and “Outer Dimensions” into your brain. Lone power ballad “Stay A Little While” provides an Evanescence-like respite from the bombast. Kudos for the bonus track, “Fading Like A Flower,” a bruising cover of fellow Swedes Roxette.

Rating: 4
(Gino Sigismondi)

The Body & Dis Fig – Orchards Of A Futile Heaven (Thrill Jockey)

When it comes to collaborative albums, few artists have done more of them than The Body. The experimental doom/noise/industrial band has recorded nearly 20 collaborative releases over the years. Their latest, Orchards Of A Futile Heaven, is with Berlin-based producer and DJ Dis Fig, aka Felicia Chen.

Electronics are front and center on the album, with samples, beats and drone the core of the songs. Tracks like “Dissent, Shame” contrast Chen’s ethereal vocals with noisy dissonance. The centerpiece of the album is the 9 plus minute “Coils Of Kaa” that features a wide variety of vocal styles and music that shifts from sparse electronica to heavy doom. There are a few lulls on Orchards Of A Futile Heaven, but enough of The Body & Dis Fig’s sonic experiments succeed to engage adventurous listeners.

Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)

Borknagar – Fall (Century Media)

2024 is the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Norwegian band Borknagar, whose brand of black metal incorporates prog, Viking and folk metal. Fall is their second album with the current lineup that includes founder Oystein G. Brun and longtime members ICS Vortex (ex-Dimmu Borgir) and Lars A. Nedlund and their twelfth overall.

“Summits” sets the tone for the album, a diverse composition that embraces Borknagar’s past while still pushing forward. Intense black metal with harsh vocals shifts to melodic sections with clean singing. Though that’s the general template, the songs emphasize different elements. “Nordic Anthem” is atmospheric, while “Unraveling” is downright catchy. The epic closer “Northward” is a perfect bookend, another dynamic song that runs the gamut from extreme black metal to accessible melodies. With Fall, Borknagar have delivered another wide-ranging, well-written and compelling album.

Rating: 4
(Chad Bowar)

Darkest Hour – Perpetual/Terminal (MNRK)

Darkest Hour’s signature mix of melodic death metal, thrash and hardcore has never been short of intent. The thrash riffage and melodicism of Perpetual/Terminal‘s killer title track sets the tone, while song titles like “Societal Bile” and “The Nihilist Undone” seem so archetypal of Darkest Hour it’s surprising they haven’t used them before. It helps that the songs themselves are also strong, complemented by production values with a rawer edge.

The record is aggressive and energetic, not to mention bustling with both blistering solos and more measured guitar lines, alongside sparing use of clean vocals and tasty acoustic flourishes. “A Prayer To The Holy Death” doesn’t neglect the importance of melody; the incisive hooks weave their way in. There’s enough variety over 40-plus minutes to retain most metallers’ interest; the contrast afforded by the closing punch of two-minute punk bruiser “My Only Regret” and melancholic mini-epic “Goddess of War, Give Me Something To Die For” reinforces this. Darkest Hour are heavy music lifers; Perpetual/Terminal showcases that they’ve got plenty left to say.

Rating: 4
(Brendan Crabb)

Dust Bolt – Sound & Fury (AFM)

The German band Dust Bolt have undergone some changes in the five years since their last album. One is with the lineup, which has seen the addition of bassist Tom Liebling (Cyber Messiah, Psychochaotic). The other change on their fifth album Sound & Fury is their sound.

While the thrash metal of previous albums is still there, they have expanded their sonic palette to include more traditional metal influences, along with more melodic singing from frontman Lenny Bruce. That’s evident from the opening track “Leave Nothing Behind,” with biting riffs contrasted by the singing. There are Metallica influences on songs like “I Witness,” while tracks like “New Flame” are no-frills thrash. The title track is more expansive and varied, a mix of classic and modern stylings with balladesque moments. Dust Bolt have hit the sweet spot on Sound & Fury, with enough thrash to satisfy longtime fans while moving forward with a new approach that will bring new listeners to the table.

Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)

Hand Of Kalliach – Corryvreckan (Prosthetic)

The Scottish husband-wife duo Hand Of Kalliach issued their debut full-length Samhainn in 2021. The folk metal group has signed with Prosthetic Records for their sophomore effort Corryvreckan.

They blend melodic death metal with folk elements to create songs that are heavy and atmospheric. John Fraser provides the harsh vocals while Sophie Fraser does the melodic singing. While they both sing on all the tracks, John is in the forefront much of the time, taking center stage on songs like “Three Seas” and “Deathless.” Sophie does have more of the spotlight on tracks such as “Dioghaltas” and “Of Twilight And The Pyre.” Corryvreckan is an effective mix of extremity, melody and atmosphere.

Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)

Iron Curtain – Savage Dawn (Dying Victims)

Spain’s Iron Curtain return with Savage Dawn their fifth album and first in five years. These defenders of the faith have plenty of NWOBHM sheen to their sound but that doesn’t take away from the crazed creature that adorns the cover of this record. “Devil’s Eyes” reveals itself to be a gruff opener with the guitars soaring behind lead singer and guitarist Mike Leprosy as the melodic leads burrow their way into your skull with no plans of leaving any time soon.

“Gypsy Rocker” and “Rattlesnake” provide more rollicking tracks that will give your neck a workout with pounding drums as your guide, the latter of which feels like a more directly metallic version of Motorhead. If you are looking for another heavy metal album to throw on and get your energy up, look no further than Savage Dawn. These guys know how to properly combine their aesthetic, classic sound and their own personality into a furiously riffing and fun time.

Rating: 3.5
(Tom Campagna)

M.U.T.T. – Dirty Deeds (Quiet Panic)

The Bay Area band M.U.T.T. was formed by former Culture Abuse guitarist John Jr., and the group’s lineup includes several other former members of that outfit. They issued their debut Bad To The Bone in 2022, and their latest release is the five song EP Dirty Deeds.

Raucous opener “Damaged” blends punk and hard rock into an edgy yet catchy concoction. “SF Is Killing Me” dials back the tempo a bit while keeping melody front and center, while “Downtown Boy” is probably the EP’s catchiest number. The closing two tracks (“Breaking The Law” and “Dirty Deeds”) are not Judas Priest and AC/DC covers, though you can hear an AC/DC influence or two in the latter. Dirty Deeds is a fun and streamlined release that whets the appetite for M.U.T.T.’s next full-length.

Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)

Persher – Sleep Well (Thrill Jockey)

Persher, the duo of Arthur Cayzer (Pariah) and Jamie Roberts (Blawan) emerged in 2022 with Man With The Magic Soap. They follow that up with Sleep Well.

While their electronic music background is apparent, Persher also bring noise, hardcore and even extreme metal to the table on this album. “Medieval Soup From The Milkbar” has harsh vocals layered over a groovy background, while songs like “Elemental Stoppage” and “Read Me Some Sci-Fi” have a more metal bite that’s mixed with electronics. Those harsh vocals bring an edge to the songs on Sleep Well, even when the music is danceable. It’s a creative and unusual album that spans a few different genres, and the band’s sense of humor is also evident in some of the song topics and title.

Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)

Stiriah – Portal (The Crawling Chaos)

Stiriah  quickly became a famous German black metal band with their acclaimed album Into The Depths and its impressive follow-up …of Light. With the release of their fourth studio album Portal, Stiriah hope to replicate their previous works’ success. But have they succeeded?

At first glance, Portal seems like an impressive album. But what appears in the way is monotonous songwriting that can severely overshadow the band’s abilities to maintain the dark and biting atmosphere they’ve created. But the album occasionally attempts to showcase a variety of ups and downs, which prevents Portal from turning into a tedious work. What makes it a respectable album is the multi-layered songs with impressive instrumentations that make it impossible to reach the depth of the songs. The album is also shrouded in a thick, ominous darkness that persists until the end. Finally, the compelling production makes all the elements fit together seamlessly.

Rating: 3.5
(Arash Khosronejad)

Stygian Crown – Funeral For A King (Cruz Del Sur)

On their sophomore album Funeral For a King, Stygian Crown deliver doom metal adorned with soaring vocals proper to the moniker of epic doom metal. The California quintet led by vocalist Melissa Pinion is triumphantly powerful without trying to do too much. “Bushido” features Pinion’s deep vocal style juxtaposed against a duo of guitars, heavy drumming and an underlying bass that adds a bit more flair to the mix. The song eventually speeds up to a fever pitch before slowing back down. If that guitar section were taken out of context it could be said that the song dabbled with death metal in the way that Solitude Aeturnus did on Beyond The Crimson Horizon.

“The Bargain” and “Where The Candle Always Burns” are varied tracks that are heavy and make for an experience that feels quick but upon repeated listens reveal themselves to more than the sum of their individual parts; the guitar lines are oppressively heavy. If you want heavy doom metal but have an underlying love of more extreme forms of metal, Stygian Crown will more than satisfy all of that at once on Funeral For A King.

Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)

Toxikull – Under The Southern Light (Dying Victims)

Another storm is brewing this week on the Iberian Peninsula, this one from Portuguese hell patrol Toxikull and their new record Under The Southern Light. Their rampant speed antics draw favorable comparisons to Judas Priest and classic European acts like Acid and Accept with a sound that seems to have the backdrop of a junkyard on fire in conjunction with the occasional sections of glistening chrome. “Around The World” is a more midtempo track that feels very anthemic, daring the listener to join in on each successive chorus.

“Battle Dogs” has a very “London Leatherboys” beat about it and if you are a fan of the Balls To The Wall classic you will feel right at with these leather laden lads as you go to collective war with the masses with a little bit of Alice Cooper shouted announcements to wrap up this total package. Toxikull give us a lot on their third proper album, one complete with a ton of energy and a time machine to boot. This is high octane metal of yore played at full speed.

Rating: 3.5
(Tom Campagna)

Traveler – Prequel To Madness (No Remorse)

On their third album Prequel To Madness, Traveler return from a nearly four year absence and come back to a landscape chock full of the classic sounding heavy metal that they play. “Take The Wheel” is the album’s first proper track and it pulls no punches in being played by one of Canada’s finest metal acts today. Jean-Pierre Abboud’s vocals take flight next to the herculean guitar pyrotechnics of Matt Ries and Toryin Schadlich. “Dark Skull” is decidedly eviler in its approach with the guitar lines evoking a more sinister approach with Jake Axl Wendt’s bass being higher up in the mix.

The album’s title track and closer is over seven minutes of heavy metal bliss, right from the opening lines of melodic leads, soon followed by high-octane riffs and drums before giving way to Abboud’s vocal lines and eventually dual lead guitar solos to bring the house down. Prequel To Madness is a great heavy metal record that should be experienced by all fans of the classics.

Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)

Vincent Crowley – Anthology Of Horror (Hammerheart)

Formed after parting ways with his former Acheron bandmates back in 2019, Vincent Crowley along with former Acheron guitarists Art Taylor and Eric Stewart banded together to continue where they had left off. Anthology Of Horror is the band’s second album.

Taking their inspiration from the likes of King Diamond and Candlemass, the album feels the same as before just with a fresh coat of paint. Thematically this is nothing new for Crowley. “Amityville’s Horror” and “Nowhere to Hyde” are just examples of the striking visuals he paints with his lyrics all while being backed by strong guitar riffs and even stronger drums. While some may be put off by the subtle changes and new direction in tone made since the Acheron days, Crowley has not changed and is still the same doom bringer we’ve known him to be.

Rating: 3
(Dalton Husher)