This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Angerot, Atom Juice, Born Of Osiris, Diamond Head, Imperial Crystalline Entombment, Impureza, In The Company Of Serpents, Laguna, Philosophobia, Pygmy Lush, Toxic Youth and Wytch Hazel.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Angerot – Seofon (Redefining Darkness)
For their latest album Seofon, the South Dakota death metal band Angerot brought in a lot of guest drummers. The album title is the old English word for seven, and the seven tracks on the record feature seven different drummers.
They include Lord Marco (Six Feet Under), Zach Simmons (Goatwhore), Daray (Dimmu Borgir), Derek Roddy (ex-Hate Eternal) and more. They each add their own flavor to Angerot’s diverse death metal attack. They shift smoothly from groove to extremity on tracks like “Rapture Ov All That Is” and “Lying Tongues Removed.” The songwriting on Seofon is well-rounded and showcases the band’s first-rate musicianship.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Atom Juice – Atom Juice (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Poland is not the country most people think of when it comes to psychedelic rock, but newcomers Atom Juice are a surprising new discovery with their self titled debut album. Formed from the remnants of Weedpecker, Makiwara and Clockmaid, the combined style of these bands have blended together to help form this unique sound.
Right from the opening chords of “Hercules” all sense of time seems to fade away on account of the simple yet dynamic psychedelic rock ensemble. The lack of vocals in tracks like “Dead Hookers” allow for an easy and quite smooth listening experience from start to end. Forming new bands out of remnants of previous bands tend to be a mixed bag of results, but Atom Juice are on the right track with their self-titled debut.
Rating: 4
(Dalton Husher)
Born Of Osiris – Through Shadows (Sumerian)
Shortly after announcing the release of their latest album Through Shadows, progressive metalcore veterans Born Of Osiris also announced the departure of longtime guitarist Lee McKinney. That follows last year’s exit of keyboardist Joe Buras, leaving just vocalist Ronnie Canizaro and drummer Cameron Losch from the band’s classic lineup.
BOO press on, maintaining their trademark style of harsh vocals and catchy melodic choruses and impressive proggy interludes. Underoath’s Spencer Chamberlain guests on “Activated,” a catchy number that stands out due to a tasty saxophone solo. That balance of heaviness and melody tilts toward the former on tracks like “Elevate,” while songs such as “In Desolation” lean toward the latter. Through Shadows is Born Of Osiris clicking on all cylinders, with both classic and modern influences.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Diamond Head – Live And Electric (Silver Lining)
The legendary NWOBHM band Diamond Head recorded every show on their 2022 tour with Saxon. They picked the best performances of the dozen tracks, and the result is Live And Electric.
Their most recent album of new material is 2019’s The Coffin Train, and three of the 12 songs in the set are from that album. Diamond Head also play plenty of classic tracks, like “The Prince,” “It’s Electric” and “Helpless.” They close with their best known number, “Am I Evil.” Guitarist Brian Tatler is the lone remaining original member, but with Live And Electric, the current lineup of Diamond Head show NWOBHM is alive and well.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Imperial Crystalline Entombment – Abominable Astral Summoning (Debemur Morti)
In 2023, the Maryland black metal band Imperial Crystalline Entombment (known as I.C.E.), released a new album for the first time in nearly 20 years. They continue their momentum with Abominable Astral Summoning, their third full-length.
They live up to their name with icy riffs and songs with lyrics that embrace the frozen world of hollow caverns of ice, evidenced in song titles like “Phantoms Of Ice,” “Avalanche Apocalypse” and “From The Arctic Void.” The songs are intense and follow the black metal template, but I.C.E. vary tempos and intensities enough to keep things interesting. There are moments of melody and some catchy riffs that balance Abominable Astral Summoning‘s brutality.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Impureza – Alcázares (Season Of Mist)
Alcázares is the latest in Impureza’s conquest of the niche market of “death metal with acoustic guitars.” The group maintains a fiery standard with their raging metal, yet the flamenco-style work is where they stand out. The acoustic guitars are not just used in instrumentals (though there are three excellent ones on this record) but pop up regularly to freshen up their sound.
It could be in an introduction with additional percussion and orchestration or a break midway in a song to let the fretless bass warmly pluck out jazzy leads. Impureza have gotten more open to playing around with where to fit the acoustics in. Alcázares also comes with catchier vocals, as the choruses on “Santa Inquisición” and “Bajo Las Tizonas De Toledo” have universal appeal regardless of any language barriers.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
In The Company Of Serpents – A Crack In Everything (Self)
Over the last few albums, including A Crack In Everything, In The Company Of Serpents have been phasing rugged Americana music into their dusty sludge/doom metal. This comes from the twang of lap steel guitars, the sporadic acoustics and gruff vocals weathered by time. The first two are the strongest on instrumentals “Delirium” and “Tremens,” while the last one gets its moment on the downtrodden “Until Death Darkens Our Door.”
The group doesn’t typically elevate the pace, which is how the steady double bass drumming in the middle of the eight-minute “Buzzard Logic” lands so well. The other song that aims for that sort of length, closer “Ghosts On The Periphery,” has a melodic heart that betrays its forceful riffs. It’s not often that a band almost 15 years into their career has hit their stride, but In The Company Of Serpents prove to do so with A Crack In Everything.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Laguna – The Ghost Of Katrina (Frontiers)
The Mexican hard rock band Laguna formed about seven years ago, and have quickly made a name for themselves playing major festivals like Hell And Heaven Fest and KnotFest. Their debut album is The Ghost Of Katrina.
Their heavy riffs and big hooks are reminiscent of classic ’80s hard rock, but with a modern production. Pretty much any song on the album could be a single, but some of the highlights include the anthemic “Ghost Behind The Mask,” the ballad “Wildfire” and the driving “Electric High.” Vocalist Andres Espada gives a strong performance with plenty of power and range. The Ghost Of Katrina doesn’t break any new musical ground, but the songs are catchy.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Philosophobia – The Constant Void (Sensory)
With The Constant Void, Philosophobia begins to branch away from comparisons to other established acts such as Pain Of Salvation. Though vocalist Domenik Papaemmanouil could still be Daniel Gildenlöw’s alter ego, there’s a brooding aura over this record, even in ballads like “Underneath Grassroots.” The whole band have elevated their technical musicianship on the snappy “The Fall” and the driving instrumental “F 40.8.”
The album is tied together by the two-part “The Forgotten,” with the second part forming the 20-minute closer. It hits all the right progressive metal notes: tender piano breaks, back-and-forth shredding between guitars and keyboards, a section where the music turns antagonistic. The Constant Void isn’t a revelation, yet breeds familiarity that radiates comfort.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Pygmy Lush – Totem (Persistent Vision)
Northern Virginia noise rockers Pygmy Lush released a couple of albums, their last one in 2011, before calling it a day. They reunited in 2024, and decided to release Totem, which was recorded back in 2016 by Converge’s Kurt Ballou but never saw the light of day.
It’s a very diverse album as the band experimented with a lot of styles and sounds. Tracks like “House Of Blood” have a noisy grunge vibe, with songs such as “A Little Boy And His Bulldozer” bringing punk and hardcore vibes and numbers like “February Song” are in the alt rock vein. Totem deserves to be heard, a snapshot of this era of Pygmy Lush, and it will be interesting to see in which musical direction they travel next.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Toxic Youth – Still Hungry (Time To Kill)
It’s probably not for lack of effort or conviction that Toxic Youth’s crossover fare isn’t better known outside of Europe. Launched in 1990, the Italian band’s resume includes sharing stages with plenty of heavy music’s biggest names, and Still Hungry is their latest effort since reuniting in 2018. The modus operandi is clear from opening salvo “Time to Kill.”. The record’s a blend of thrash and hardcore packing plenty of groove, and no track reaching the three-minute mark.
The sweat and enthusiasm practically oozes out of the speakers, and does help compensate for the overt sense of familiarity throughout. Furious drumming, pounding basslines and gang vocals ensue. A track like “War Games” quickly feels repetitive and even a little hokey, and overall this style is an acquired taste. But for the already converted there will be plenty to savor. The lack of variety does begin to wear thin on record, although this scribe is sure their live shows are a lot of fun for all concerned. So, we’d suggest catching them in that environment.
Rating: 2.5
(Brendan Crabb)
Wytch Hazel – V: Lamentations (Bad Omen)
Lamentations” is the fifth album from the English Christian rock outfit Wytch Hazel where the band reinforces a sound they have been crafting for the last 13 years. I’m talking about a 1970s rock/AOR sound in the spirit of Angel, Kiss, Blue Oyster Cult, Budgie and the like.
This would sound dated if it weren’t for Wytch Hazel’s songwriting excellence and heartfelt delivery. “Woven” has a high-spirited catchiness that you can’t get enough of. As the title suggests “Healing Power” is a cathartic tour-de-force. And the rest of the album’s songs are of a similar nature. After a while some songs might blur into each other but when the material is this good, it’s hardly a problem.
Rating: 4
(Chris Galea)
