This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Black Sorcery, Dopethrone, Esodic, EvilDead, Locusts And Honey, MoonKill, Morgue, Night Laser, Rotting Christ, Sound & Shape, Ultio and Vale Of Pnath.
The ratings are on a 5 star scale.
Black Sorcery – Plummeting Into The Hour Of The Wolf (Eternal Death)
Plummeting Into The Hour Of The Wolf is Black Sorcery’s newest EP, and it is electric. The most notable element of this record is the vocals – the arrangement of them is powerful and perfectly traditional. It sounds both defiant and pained in a way that is reminiscent of classic black metal. And with those droning instrumentals the feeling is magnified, screeching almost.
The production overall is really clear in a way that doesn’t take away from the garbled sound associated with the genre. “World Demands Cruelty,” the first track, comes in with so much energy that you spend the rest of your time listening trying to recover. However, the other two tracks almost fizzled out in comparison to the entrance of the first. With that being said, the pacing of this EP is great; tracks ebb and flow as needed in a really clear way. Overall, it’s a solid release and a modern take on the traditional black metal sound.
Rating: 3.5
(Ethan Wylan)
Dopethrone – Broke Sabbath (Totem Cat)
It has been a while since we’ve heard from the Canadian sludge/stoner metal band Dopethrone. Their last studio album was 2018’s Transcanadian Anger. The trio’s new effort Broke Sabbath continues their self-described brand of “slutch.”
With the album title it’s no surprise there are plenty of nods to Black Sabbath, but Dopethrone have established their own brand of downtuned madness over the past 15 years. Riff-driven beasts such as “ABAC” and “Rock Slock” have both grit and groove. Even during the album’s heaviest moments, like “Shlaghammer,” the melodies will see you through. While not reinventing the wheel, they shift tempos and intensities, keeping things interesting. Broke Sabbath is the fix that Dopethrone fans have been waiting for.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Esodic – De Facto De Jure (Self)
Esodic started out over 20 years ago in Amman, Jordan, a region of the world that wasn’t very receptive to metal. They struggled with constant harassment and abuse from authorities, which made releasing music a challenge. They split up sometime around 2010, though drummer Zed Amarin kept the spirit of the band alive once he moved to Los Angeles, California. They restarted a few years back and now are putting out De Facto De Jure, their second EP, employing Middle Eastern instrumentation on top of sizzling thrash metal.
That’s new for the band, which kept things more traditional on their last EP, Mirrors Of Disgrace. An oud used on top of aggressive riffs on “Consequence” is not something a listener will hear every day in thrash. It took a long road for Esodic to get to this EP, and De Facto De Jure is a strong case for where the band is going as they enter a new era.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
EvilDead – Toxic Grace (Steamhammer/SPV)
Thrash metal veterans EvilDead made a triumphant return after 29 years with their critically acclaimed 2020 album, United States Of Anarchy. Now, four years later, they continue to wield the power of old-school thrash metal, a testament to their enduring legacy. Toxic Grace, their fourth studio album, is a powerful affirmation of this.
What sets EvilDead apart as seasoned veterans still on the rise is their admirable commitment to preserving the traditional roots of songwriting while infusing it with impressive modern production. That makes Toxic Grace a fantastic album for those who like thrash metal groovy and old-school. Horror-themed social and political issues are presented with humor, sarcasm and bitterness in the songs. In Toxic Grace, EvilDead didn’t try to forge a new path because they know that their first two albums left behind an unbreakable and unbeatable legacy. Therefore, why chart a new course when they can still captivate their fans with the same passion and strength from the late ’80s and early ’90s?
Rating: 4
(Arash Khosronejad)
Locusts And Honey – Teach Me To Live That I Dread The Grave As Little As My Bed (Hypaethral)
Teach Me To Live That I Dread The Grave As Little As My Bed, the debut from Locusts And Honey, is a single, 28-minute song cut into six parts, a suitable format for funeral doom metal. Don’t bother thinking of this as anything other than a complete composition, as it loses traction when knowing where the breaks between songs are. This is a “press play and sit back” album, ignoring all of life’s hassles to get swept up in droning noise and cinematic sorrow.
Sublime guitars bookend the release, acting as a circular way to tie it together. Thematically, the title pinpoints its grim nature, as echoed growls drive this across when required. There’s a long instrumental break in the middle with “Confraternities Of The Cord” and “Beauty And Atrocity” that swirls in a static concoction like ambience on LSD. Locusts And Honey, like their moniker, are a split between something rich and something terrifying on Teach Me To Live …
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
MoonKill – MoonKill (Self)
With a sub-genre like punk so filled to the brim with acts attempting to stand out from one another, Texas newcomers MoonKill have managed to put just enough of a new-wave twist to the genre with their self-titled debut to make it stand out.
With a total runtime coming in just under thirty minutes, every second is well used and decently paced. “Full Stop” and “Long Line to Hell” stand out as examples of how simplicity is sometimes the better option. As far as debut albums go, MoonKill serves as a strong and solid starting point for them, and hopes are high that they can keep this momentum rolling.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
Morgue – Close To Complete Darkness (Godz Ov War)
Morgue create a killer atmosphere with Close To Complete Darkness. The album immediately erupts into a chaotic crashing of instruments and steady, deadly drumming. The vocals were by far my favorite part of the record; guttural and brutal, they served the apocalyptic environment quite well. While I do prefer shorter tracks for a death metal album, there was something beautiful about the arrangement of the few 3-4 minute songs; they were almost cinematic. “Blemish” stood out in particular as an ideal representation of Morgue’s overall strengths.
While not particularly profound, the album’s gravely dangerous sound tends to grow on the listener as it progresses. Morgue, as a band, are excelling at creating a classic death metal sound. With that being said, Close To Complete Darkness does not especially stand out. Overall, it has the complexity and violence any fan of classic death metal will enjoy, but yet it fails to stun beyond that.
Rating: 3
(Ethan Wylan)
Night Laser – Call Me What You Want (Steamhammer/SPV)
As if the trend of mimicking the styles of the ’80s was not popular enough already, Hamburg natives Night Laser have shown us with their fourth album Call Me What You Want that the style has no intentions on dying out.
A power metal ballad from start to end, Call Me What You Want has everything a fan could want: an impressive range of vocals, strong guitar riffs, and drums that are just heavy enough to headbang to. “Bittersweet Dreams” starts the album on a high and rolls on just as high with a nice slow down with “Travelers In Time” and picks right back up towards the end. With a sound reminiscent of Dragonforce, Call Me What You Want is a good headbanging listen from start to end.
Rating: 4
(Dalton Husher)
Rotting Christ – Pro Xristou (Season Of Mist)
While it has been five years since the legendary Greek black metal band Rotting Christ‘s last studio album, there has been no shortage of available material. Since The Heretics there has been a split, a box set, two live albums, three compilations and an EP issued. Pro Xristou is their 14th studio album.
The album’s title translates to “Before Christ,” and the subject matter deals with the era of the last Pagan kings before Christianity. The songs are epic in scope, though relatively streamlined in length. Extremity, melody and atmosphere blend seamlessly on tracks like the grandiose “Like Father, Like Son” and the intense “La Lettera Del Diavolo.” Frontman Sakis Tolis mixes fierce harsh vocals and more melodic moments. Pro Xristou moves the band forward while incorporating their trademark style. More than 35 years after their formation, Rotting Christ are as vital and impactful as they have ever been.
Rating: 4
(Chad Bowar)
Sound & Shape – Pillars Of Creation (Self)
Nashville progsters Sound & Shape follow up 2022’s Disaster Medicine with Pillars Of Creation. The veteran band has developed a style that blends the accessibility of pop and rock with the complexity of prog, and that continues here.
Tracks like “God Shakes A Fist” have a lot of hooks, lengthy instrumental breaks and memorable melodies. The prog/pop balance tilts in the progressive direction on songs such as “Is A Wilted Rose Still Red” and “How To Talk To Ghosts” while pop sensibilities come to the forefront on numbers like “Sun Haired Sky Mother.” Ryan Caudle’s vocals are expressive and dynamic with a great tenor tone. Pillars Of Creation is an eclectic album that explores a wide variety of styles and intensities while remaining cohesive.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Ultio – Cor (Brucia)
Cor is Ultio’s second project, and when I say this album is visceral, you better believe me. The promo describes their unique, classic sound as abrasive yet pure, and I couldn’t agree more. The drumming is a dragon’s heartbeat – loud and intentional. It’s not just the strategy or the tempo of each instrument, but the force put behind it that had me reeling. Each track builds off of the last in the sense that they continue to improve as the album progresses.
With effective vocals that can only be described as “chilling” and a dismal tone that provokes the listener, it’s safe to say Ultio succeeded in creating a black metal album reminiscent of the classics in the genre. “Looking For Eyes” is a standout track, epic in a chaotic and stomach-churning way. The album ends abruptly, but in a good way – it leaves you wondering what you just heard… and possibly when you can hear it again.
Rating: 3
(Ethan Wylan)
Vale Of Pnath – Between The Worlds Of Life And Death (Willowtip)
Vale Of Pnath use the turn towards black metal from 2019’s Accursed EP as a navigation tool for Between The Worlds Of Life And Death. Guitarist and founding member Vance Valenzuela is the only musician to return from that last release, as he brings in Abigail Williams vocalist/guitarist Ken Sorceron as the new frontman (who also plays bass and produces/mixes/masters the album). The Abigail Williams connection gets stronger with the inclusion of their current drummer Gabe Seeber playing on the record, as well as Valenzuela being the latest guitarist of Sorceron’s main project.
The lineup bolsters this album’s omnipresent symphonic black metal leanings, though their tech death has not been fully lost. There’s plenty of exuberant guitar work and advanced musicianship, aided by keyboards and raspy wails. Those who have stuck with Vale Of Pnath since their 2011 debut The Prodigal Empire may not recognize what they’ve become, but this is a worthwhile direction they’ve been playing around with for years.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
