This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Axel Rudi Pell, Deimler, Egregore, Gaerea, Gutvoid, Hell Trepanner, The Holeum, Ignescent, Karmian, Kate’s Acid, Poison The Well, Putred, The Silver and Tusmørke.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Axel Rudi Pell – Ghost Town (Steamhammer)
Axel Rudi Pell has shown he and his band have staying power, having been around since the late ’80s. They are also prolific, never going more than two calendar years without releasing an album. Their current lineup has been together for more than a dozen years, with Hardline’s Johnny Goeli fronting the group for over a quarter century. The band’s latest effort is Ghost Town, which was produced by Pell.
Their brand of hard rock/traditional metal checks the boxes of catchy melodies and plenty of guitar wizardry from Pell, along with some surprises. “The Enemy Within” traverses a few different styles from hard rock to doom, while “Guillotine Walk” puts atmosphere front and center. Gioeli’s performance is potent, as expected, and Pell always delivers a plethora of quality riffs and memorable solos. The legendary Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O., ex-Accept) lends his unique vocal stylings to “Breaking Seals,” a rousing hard rocker. Ghost Town finds Axel Rudi Pell and company in fine form, ready to keep rocking for another few decades.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Deimler – Darkness Falls (Awakening)
Darkness Falls, the third album from the Spanish trio Deimler is a good old-fashioned death metal platter. It is mostly straightforward, but at times tries to add in a few things to change stuff up. It is similar to early Immolation, but tries to add in a little bit of variety. The music is groovy and makes good use of an old-fashioned mix for maximum effect.
The musicianship is good and this is demonstrated in songs that become increasingly less lengthy. The guitar riffs are fairly generic, but get the point across. Deimler also have a bit of a grand feel that is reminiscent of early Carcass, but that is overshadowed by the death metal feel. The problem I’m having with Darkness Falls is that it seems somewhat generic. This is pretty good stuff, but it is brought down by a slightly lackluster feel.
Rating: 3
(Adam McAuley)
Egregore – It Echoes In The Wild (20 Buck Spin)
A trio of Canadians screaming and growling over blackened death metal that moves like it’s a step away from collapsing is what Egregore form with It Echoes In The Wild. Their second album, following 2022’s The Word Of His Law, accelerates their progress in many ways, including from the handful of guest musicians adding synths, vocals and spoken word passages.
There’s some weirdness to discover too, like random falsettos being thrown out or an acoustic guitar solo. The 10-minute title track is a benchmark for Egregore, closing It Echoes In The Wild on an insane high. It’s not possible to know where they are going to go next on the song. That’s a feat for any band, let alone one in the grim nether regions of black/death metal.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Gaerea – Loss (Century Media)
The Portuguese post black metal troupe Gaerea have signed with Century Media for their fifth full-length, Loss. The masked band’s sound evolves on each new album, and that’s also the case here. It’s a dynamic album, combining aggressive black metal with atmospherics and accessible rock/metal.
Harsh growls shift to melodic singing as chaos and catchiness peacefully co-exist on songs like “Luminary” and “Hellbound.” Some of the transitions are a bit jarring, but for the most part Gaerea smoothly ride the waves between brutality and beauty. Some tracks begin with extremity and then mellow out, others take the opposite tack. Loss is ever-shifting, with continuous ebbs and flows that are unpredictable but enjoyable.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Gutvoid – Liminal Shrines (Profound Lore)
Liminal Shrines is the first of a two-part concept from Gutvoid, taking their progressive death metal further into cosmic terror. Vocalist/guitarist Brendan Dean and guitarist Daniel Bonofiglio have made great strides in their solos, increasing their proliferation. The band’s fleet-footed music makes any unexpected transitions hard to predict.
This may come from an acoustic guitar or a stunning melodic lull. The wonderful “Lead Me Beyond the Sleeping I” and “Chasm Of Displaced Souls” are two 12-minute tunes that end Liminal Shrines with everything from the previous sentence, plus the slowest riffs on the whole record. With the band intending to produce the second part this year, it may not be long to uncover if they can match the highs of this sophomore effort.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Hell Trepanner – The Consecration Of Eternal Impurity (Awakening)
Formed in 2015, the Peruvian trio Hell Trepanner set out on a single goal: to preserve the raw brutality that death metal is known for. They manage to achieve this goal with their debut full length album The Consecration Of Eternal Impurity.
Much like their predecessors, all the black metal trademarks are on full display from blast beat drums to growly vocals. “Profance Sacramentum” and the ending of “Descend to the Eternal Funeral” provide the satisfying atmosphere that what we are listening to feels like hymns to darkness itself. Hell Trepanner have managed to accomplish what the set out to do and hopes are high for future releases.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
The Holeum – Ensis (Lifeforce)
Ensis is the third album from doom/post-metal group The Holeum, coming after a long wait since 2019’s Sublime Emptiness. The world has changed a lot since that time, though The Holeum have kept the same forlorn vastness of their past records. That comes with the territory of being a band named after theories about dark matter and black holes, where robotic vocal effects seem to spawn from another universe.
Speaking of which, vocalist Pablo Egido uses his singing voice more frequently on Ensis to offer a different avenue of expression. That confidence edges into The Holeum’s embrace of death metal on “Hyperdimensional Physics” and “Esoteric Futuristic Visions.” Ensis is not a far deviation from what the group has done, but makes enough adjustments to stand on its own.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Ignescent – Eternal (Frontiers)
The latest album from the Chicago band Ignescent is Eternal. It delivers their faith-based message with a blend of modern metal and hard rock. Heavy riffs and drums high in the mix are balanced by a barrage of hooks and singalong choruses from Jennifer Benson.
There are plenty of uptempo songs like “Joker” and “Scream For Me,” along with ballads like “Light Up The Night” and mid-paced numbers such as “Alone In The Dark.” Sevendust’s Clint Lowery guests on the electronic-tinged “Chariot Of Fire.” The song “Fearless” was co-written by Flyleaf’s Sameer Bhattacharya, and you can hear influences of that band here, along with artists like Skillet and Fireflight. There are numerous memorable songs on Eternal, along with a couple that aren’t quite as compelling.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Karmian – Horror Vacui (Rockshots)
There have been plenty of death metal bands that covered the atrocities serial killers have committed, but Karmian’s Horror Vacui may be the first album in the genre that focuses solely on those that occurred in Italy. Each of the nine songs are from the perspective of a different murderer, as the group gets into the heads of each of them with vibrant lyrical details.
The first half of Horror Vacui tests out slight progressive mannerisms to their melodic death metal with the keyboards on “One Thousand Shining Bubbles” and “The Call Of The Abyssal Bell.” These six-minute tunes have Karmian out of sync with their usual personas, something the rest of the album could’ve used as well.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Kate’s Acid – Hellbender (High Roller)
Back in 1980s Acid were one of the bands flying the banner of metal in Belgium. Resurrected around 2020, Hellbender is their comeback album and singer Kate de Lombaert’s name has been added to the moniker with her being the only original Acid member. The years have made her voice rougher around the edges but it fits snugly with these songs. The rest of the lineup features musicians currently active in the Belgian and Colombian metal scenes.
The production of Hellbender feels very old school with an abundance of hooks and energetic tracks. Examples of note are “Do Not Burn The Witch” and “Valkyrie.” Album closer “Air Raid” is the band’s unconvincing attempt at a dark ballad and is the only time the album somewhat falters. But by and large Hellbender is a scorching album with plenty of fist-pumping metal anthems.
Rating: 4
(Chris Galea)
Poison The Well – Peace In Place (SharpTone)
Since returning in 2015 from a hiatus, Poison The Well’s comeback has been somewhat stop-start in nature. However, the U.S. metalcore/melodic hardcore favorites have reconvened and delivered Peace In Place, their first full-length in 17 years. From the opening three-pronged burst of “Wax Mask,” “Primal Bloom” and standout “Thoroughbreds,” these songs sound instantly recognizable and linked to the band’s past, but also feel fresh and energetic.
There has never been any questioning of the group’s convictions, delving here into trauma, betrayal, depression and loss. This is an outfit who has always spilled their guts amid the breakdowns, and there’s plenty more of that raw emotion to be found here. If you like your bludgeoning mosh riffs and impassioned harsh vocals with a chaser of haunting melody, these lads have you covered, too. There’s also just enough variety to sustain the record, from the more accessible passages of “Everything Hurts” and groovy “Weeping Tones,” to the atmospheric “Drifting Without End.” Peace In Place is a record of sizeable depth, plenty of heart and songwriting finesse.
Rating: 4
(Brendan Crabb)
Putred – Blestemul din Adânc (Awakening)
From the mist-choked valleys of Transylvania, Putred deliver their most suffocating statement yet. Blestemul din Adânc (The Curse from the Deep) is slow-decaying, putrid death metal rooted in a deliberate commitment to sonic decomposition. Performed almost entirely in Romanian, a rarity in the genre, the album carries an ancient, otherworldly weight.
Filip’s guttural vocals, the corroded twin guitar assault of Uriel and Denis, Corina’s tomb-deep bass, and Ficus’s punishing drums combine into walls of sound that don’t merely distort, they rot. Highlights include the crushing title track, the tempo-shifting “Cripta Vrăjilor,” and a fittingly vicious cover of Benediction’s “Subconscious Terror.” Putred are building a body of work with an identity, and Blestemul din Adânc is their most cohesive effort to date.
Rating: 4
(Jeanetta Briski)
The Silver – Looking Glass Hymnal Blue (Gilead)
On their sophomore album Looking Glass Hymnal Blue, The Silver aim to continue to evolve their sound. Elements of post and progressive black metal are heard throughout the near 50-minute run time as well as the vocal dichotomy between Nick Duchemin’s harsh vocals and Matt Knox’s cleans. The latter part is more emphasized than it was on their previous Ward Of Roses. “Two Candles” does a great job of varying its tempo to meet several moods throughout, with some of the greatest parts being the slowed sections that play heavily into the bass lines and the beautiful clean vocal melodies.
Even a shorter track like “Tendrils” has clearly had a lot of attention to detail throughout, with each member of the band now including guitarist Alex Kulick (Horrendous) to add in their own unique flair to each subsequent piece. The complex arrangements found throughout the album reveal increasingly more about this full-length upon repeat listens. Looking Glass Hymnal Blue is an intricately crafted and beautiful testament to the balance between beauty and agony.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Tusmørke – Balderdom (Karisma)
The Norwegian prog band Tusmørke have been around for more than 25 years, building a discography that’s unique, clever and creative. They blend classic prog rock with traditional folk and their own secret sauce. They follow up their first ever live album released last year with Balderdom.
The first four songs are Tusmørke’s typical fare: “Balderdom (Tres Jolie)” is retro prog with flutes and folk instruments while “Rerun Of Forever (Stravinsky)” is trippy and atmospheric. The total length of those tracks basically equals the mammoth nearly 21-minute closer “Lidskjalv, which has been around as a demo since the ’90s. It meanders from experimental to catchy and back again. Maintaining interest for such a long period is a huge challenge, and though there are some lulls, it ultimately succeeds. As with previous Tusmørke releases, Balderdom is both complex and whimsical.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
