This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Black Swan, Blackwater Drowning, Carpenter Brut, Cryptic Shift, Final Gasp, Matador, Necrofier, Necrosexual, Rob Zombie, Unburier and A Wilhelm Scream.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Black Swan – Paralyzed (Frontiers)
The members of Black Swan have impressive resumes and a lot of experience. Paralyzed is the third album from the hard rock project whose lineup includes vocalist Robin McAuley (MSG), guitarist Reb Beach (Winger), bassist Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Foreigner) and drummer Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big).
As with their first two releases, the band draw upon ’80s influences with big riffs, plenty of guitar solos and catchy melodies. Tracks like “When The Cold Wind Blows” and “Shakedown” would have been big hits back in the day. Black Swan add variety as well, such as bluesy influences on songs like “Different Kind Of Woman.” It’s no surprise that the musicianship on Paralyzed is flawless or that McAuley’s vocal performance is spot on, but after three albums the band’s chemistry continues to get even stronger.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Blackwater Drowning – Obscure Sorrows (Bleeding Art Collective)
Blackwater Drowning are not content to regurgitating past sounds on their sophomore album, Obscure Sorrows. While their melodic death metal/metalcore remains intact, it’s been supplemented by the inclusion of orchestration. This is a new step for the group, one that they treat as integral to these 10 songs. The piano in the introduction to “Chain Of Ages” and the violins swarming through “Heir Of The Witch” are just a sampling of what the band does with the different tools they have.
Vocalist Morgan Riley uses more of a harsher tone than on previous releases. Songs like “The Sixth Omen” and “Washed Out Washed Away” are predominately driven by demonic vocals, though soulful singing does enough to have some say. Obscure Sorrows has Blackwater Drowning unwavering in the evolutionary jump taken.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Carpenter Brut – Leather Temple (No Quarter)
French electronic artist Franck Hueso, who performs as Carpenter Brut, is wrapping up the “Leather” trilogy. It began with 2018’s Leather Teeth followed by 2022’s Leather Terror and now the finale, Leather Temple.
The songs are sometimes cinematic, other times danceable, and every once in a while metal comes to the forefront. There are industrial metal moments on the title track and “The Misfits The Rebels,” while songs like “Start Your Engines” have more of a retro electronic vibe and numbers such as “Neon Requiem” are poppy and accessible. Maintaining interest throughout an instrumental album can be challenging, and there are definitely some lulls on Leather Temple. However, there are also numerous compelling sections throughout the record.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Cryptic Shift – Overspace and Supertime (Metal Blade)
With album number two Overspace and Supertime, Cryptic Shift have left nothing on the cutting room floor with a 5-track album nearing 80 minutes of progressive death metal mayhem. Opener “Cryogenically Frozen” is no slouch in its approach with comparisons being drawn to Voivod, Nocturnus, and Blood Incantation with a little more experimentation thrown in for good measure, resulting in something the band refers to as Astrodeath. This is meant to be an album that is taken in in one sitting, with two of its tracks being over 20 minutes and one of those nears 30 minutes.
The aforementioned longest song “Stratocumulus Evergaol” is a song that requires a close ear to pick up on all the subtlety as there is a lot to let sink in. “Hexagonal Eyes (Diverity Trepaphymphasyzm)” takes the listener on a ride to the depths of space, while the closing, title track appears to reach the album’s final destination. The highs of this record ultimately outweigh the fact that it is a little too long. Overspace and Supertime is an album that intimately explores the intricacies of the cosmos in its own uniquely extreme, and progressive way.
Rating: 3.5
(Tom Campagna)
Final Gasp – New Day Symptoms (Relapse)
Boston-based death rock collective Final Gasp‘s sophomore effort is New Day Symptoms. This record is chock full of goth-tinged goodness and rocking guitar work. See first proper song “Look Away” as it tugs at your emotions while you bang your head.
Vocalist Jake Murphy does a tremendous job behind a wall of sound. He is also able to move to the forefront while making great use of vocal effects. The way band can marry the heavy emotion of hardcore and the gloomy goth of it all is a wonderful exercise in balance on tracks like “The Apparition” and “Gifted Shame.” Powering through these 10 songs in 32 minutes is something that works very well for replay value. On New Day Symptoms the band is able to walk the tight rope of death rock, goth, and hardcore never straying too far in one direction, allowing them to keep their voice consistent. This record is a blast from the past while offering something new and varied for all listeners.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Matador – Above, Below And So (Church Road)
More than four years after their sophomore opus The Surge, the UK trio Matador emerge with their new album, Above, Below And So. And even though there are only six tracks, this is definitely not an EP. Thick, heavy riffs drive the songs, which are contrasted by airy atmospheres and the incorporation of rock and psychedelic elements.
That makes for an immersive listening experience with a lot of twists and turns. With most songs in the 6 to 8-minute range, there is plenty of room for exploration, and Matador make the most of that space. James Kirk’s vocals are sometimes buried in the mix, other times more prominent, and on tracks like “The Flood” and “O Suna” are all or mostly absent. Above, Below And So runs the gamut of genres, with the label of doom/post metal only scratching the surface of what Matador bring to the table.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Necrofier – Transcend Into Oblivion (Metal Blade)
Necrofier have gone the concept album route with their third LP, Transcend Into Oblivion. The number three is threaded into this record, especially in the general layout of the track listing. It’s a three-act story told in a trio of three-part suites with three instrumentals, each one separating the suites. A crisis of faith is what the anonymous main character struggles with during the “Dark Night Of The Soul” the band embarks on.
Their black metal is brimming with cinematic scope, from the acoustic guitars on the last few minutes of “Servants Of Darkness, Guide My Way II” to the spoken word delivery on closer “Toward The Necrofier.” At almost an hour, Necrofier are demanding a lot on a listener, but the time invested into Transcend Into Oblivion pays off as a test of what could come.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Necrosexual – Road To Rubble (Black Metal Archives)
It has been a while since Philadelphia’s Necrosexual released a full-length. Their debut Grim1 saw the light of day in 2018, and after several EPs in the interim, are unleashing their sophomore full-length Road To Rubble.
They take black metal, punk and thrash and inject it with horror and humor. Whatever approach the band takes in a particular song, frontman The Necrosexual sells it with just the right delivery. Attitude, melody, chaos, aggression, fun and unpredictability are never in short supply on tracks like “Kiss The Knife” and “Nocturnal Ignition.” Inspired by everybody from Venom to Bathory to Plasmatics, Necrosexual deliver the goods on Road To Rubble with resolve and a twinkle in their eye.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Rob Zombie – The Great Satan (Nuclear Blast)
Rob Zombie‘s backing band has undergone some lineup changes since 2021’s The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy. A couple of previous members have rejoined the band: guitarist Mike Riggs taking over for John 5 and bassist Blasko replacing Piggy D. Both were part of the band’s first two platinum-selling albums in 1998 and 2001.
The band’s sound remains similar to previous releases: industrial metal injected with horror and sci-fi elements with Zombie’s trademark vocals. The songs are streamlined and polished, with none exceeding the four-minute mark. There are also the voiceovers and other sonic elements Zombie fans expect, along with catchy melodies and thunderous beats. Though not overly original, tracks like “Heathen Days,” “Punks And Emons” and “Out Of Sight” are memorable. The Great Satan is exactly what you’d expect from a Rob Zombie album, for better and for worse, but mostly for better.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Unburier – As Time Awaits (Self)
As Time Awaits is the third EP from technical death/thrash metal group Unburier, a short but solid trio of songs that mixes complex instrumentation with mind-bending riffs. Each tune is around five minutes each, allowing the band to let their guitar solos go off without having to hold back too much. There isn’t much deviations sonically on this EP compared to their two previous ones, 2022’s Twisted Existence and 2024’s Nebulous.
Guitarists Ben Champion and Blake Hibberd both handle vocal duties with a stock array of screams and barks about Lovecraftian themes. The music is the most interesting part of Unburier, notably when bassist Stan Mitchell is able to squeeze his way through the mix. As Time Awaits is the next step in the refinement of their specialized death/thrash metal.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
A Wilhelm Scream – Cheap Heat (Creator-Destructor)
In Hollywood, the Wilhelm Scream is an iconic sound effect that has achieved cultural status over time, such as the case with Massachusetts punk rock outfit A Wilhelm Scream coming back with their iconic sound with and their sixth release Cheap Heat.
Though the album is a high-octane thriller from start to end, the songs feel like they blend together with a few deviations here and there. One can not deny that the passion and effort are there like with “Midnight Ghost” having a nice little forty second build up before the rest of the song kicks in. A Wilhelm Scream have been rocking and rolling for the better part of two decades, and it’s clear that they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Rating: 3
(Dalton Husher)
