This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Behemoth, Black Map, Candlemass, The Chemistry Set, Cocaine Culture, Death SS, Haken, Kurt Deimer, Meatwound, Ominous Ruin, Svarta Havet and Tetrarch.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Behemoth – The Shit Ov God (Nuclear Blast)
Behemoth are a band that’s never been afraid to try new things, and if there’s one thing their long career has shown, it’s a willingness to experiment — even at the risk of failure. With The Shit Ov God, the band doesn’t break new ground musically, but it certainly pushes harder lyrically. I’m usually indifferent to lyrics, but in this case, they might actually get in the way of your enjoyment, as they’re extremely edgy, to say the least.
There’s enough heaviness here for everyone, and the first half of the album is its strongest. However, as the album progresses, it begins to lose steam. That said, I don’t want to end this review on a negative note. The album is a consistent effort and delivers exactly what you’d expect from Behemoth. There aren’t many surprises here — but fans will likely find plenty to enjoy.
Rating: 2.5
(Carlos Tirado)
Black Map – Hex (Spinefarm)
The San Francisco trio Black Map, whose members’ resumes include groups like Dredg, Far and The Trophy Fire, have been around for more than a decade. Their latest album is Hex.
Black Map still have post-hardcore tendencies, but this time around the songs are even more focused than usual with a plethora of hooks and memorable choruses moving toward mainstream rock territory. Every song is under four minutes long, expertly mixing complexity and accessibility. Some of the highlights include “Badlands,” “Burning Satellite” and the emotional “Tethered.” Hex flies by at around 30 minutes, a quick but enjoyable trip.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Candlemass – Black Star (Napalm)
Candlemass’ place in metal history is secure as one of the most influential doom bands in the genre’s history, including the seminal Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. Their last studio album was 2022’s Sweet Evil Sun, and they are celebrating their 40th anniversary with the four-song EP Black Star.
“Black Star” is a quality Candlemass song, with the rest of the EP filled out by an instrumental and two cover songs: Black Sabbath’s “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and Pentagram’s “Forever My Queen.” The covers are faithful renditions of classic tracks by legendary artists. As a stopgap EP between studio albums, Black Star is fine, but as a celebration of such a significant artist’s four decades as a band, it’s a bit underwhelming.
Rating: 2.5
(Chad Bowar)
The Chemistry Set – An Introduction To The Chemistry Set (Fruits De Mer)
U.K-based psychedelic rockers The Chemistry Set have been rocking and rolling being a driving force of U.K counterculturalism for 38 years running, with their most recent album Pink Felt Tip coming out just two years ago. To commemorate the last decade of recent releases, they have released the two disc collection An Introduction To The Chemistry Set.
An Introduction To The Chemistry Set is just that, a way to introduce fans both new and old. “Albert Hoffman” and “Firefly” are just two examples of the scope of style that they have covered within the psychedelic rock umbrella. It’s obvious that The Chemistry Set have not lost their momentum and are clearly keen to keep this momentum going till they can’t.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
Cocaine Culture – Cocaine Culture (Horror Pain Gore Death)
Cocaine Culture were not always the poisonous heathens they are today with their self-titled debut album. Before they laced their sludge metal with black/death metal, they were into grunge/alternative metal. It took nearly a decade for them to get to this point, and this album is their true form. The 10 songs (including a bonus live track) are mostly retooled songs from the last few years, their previous versions being found on various singles and EPs.
The newer material fits right in with its callous racket, though “Cerebral Decay” and “Death Knell” lean too hard into the noise quotient with a tone that can best be described as atmospheric filler. Using clips of “Macho Man” Randy Savage from the 2002 Spider-Man movie during “Home Surgery” is an odd choice too. The more established songs work better, especially the rambunctious “Prelude” and blackened doom of “King Of Somber.”
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Death SS – The Entity (Lucifer Rising)
Besides being one of the first metal bands to emerge from Italy, Death SS were also one of the first bands to adopt horror as their raison d’être. With The Entity, the band raises this link a notch to regale us with an ambitious concept album inspired by dark and occult historic characters and literature.
These 12 songs are mostly catchy and well-written while reflecting the album’s evolving storyline. I particularly liked those more upbeat songs such as “Possession” with its great chorus. Album closer “Evil Never Dies” is another fantastic song, anthemic and gripping. The Entity is loaded with great guitar solos, courtesy of Giulz Borroni (also of Bulldozer) while Freddy Delirio uses his keyboards to enhance the music’s eerie moods. The sound production is top notch too – credit here goes to band founder and singer Steve Sylvester and Tom Dalgety (the latter known for his work with Rammstein, Ghost, The Cult and others). Stylistically The Entity hearkens back to the Heavy Demons era of the early ’90s and is a new jewel in the band’s discography.
Rating: 4
(Chris Galea)
Haken – Liveforms: An Evening With Haken (InsideOut)
Veteran British progsters Haken released Fauna in 2023 and embarked on “An Evening With” tour in support of their seventh album. In September of last year they played London’s O2 forum, and that show and its two sets lasting three hours are commemorated on Liveforms: An Evening With Haken.
During the first set Haken play Fauna in full along with the epic “Crystallized” from their 2014 EP Restoration. The second set is ten songs from throughout their catalog ranging from “Drowning In The Flood” from their 2010 debut Aquarius through “The Strain” from 2020’s Virus. The 3CD/Blu-ray edition also includes bonus material including interviews with each band member. Liveforms: An Evening With Haken captures the Fauna cycle very well and provides plenty of bang for a fan’s buck.
Rating: 4
(Chad Bowar)
Kurt Deimer – And So It Begins… (Bald Man)
In 2021, rocker Kurt Deimer released his debut EP, and since then has been doing plenty of touring. For his full-length And So It Begins… Deimer brought in some heavy hitters, co-writing with Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X and having it produced by Grammy winner Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Breaking Benjamin).
Deimer’s brand of hard rock hearkens back to the days of big hair on tracks like “Sunset Boulevard,” and he works with one of the era’s legendary vocalists Geoff Tate on “Burn Together.” He also goes even farther back with covers of Pink Floyd’s “Have A Cigar” and the Doors’ “Riders On The Storm.” It’s not a retro album, though, with many tracks that embrace modern hard rock. Deimer’s baritone voice and use of spoken word/singsong along with regular singing is unique, standing out from the typical artist in the genre. But, at 17 songs it’s a bit long and some filler could easily have been trimmed.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Meatwound – Macho (Threat Collection)
It has been a while since we’ve heard from the Florida hardcore/sludge band Meatwound, whose last album was in 2019. For their new album Macho, not only did they work with producer Ryan Boesch (Melvins, Helmet), they are also releasing the album on his record label.
Embracing both chaos and groove, Meatwound focus on the latter on tracks like “Mount Vermin,” while the former is more prevalent on numbers such as “Pigs, Tu” and “Labor.” “Frank Stallone” has an electronica/industrial vibe for the first half before the heaviness kicks in, and closer “Exodus MF” wraps Macho up in fine form, encapsulating the ebbs and flows of the record in a just under six minute package.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Ominous Ruin – Requiem (Willowtip)
Ominous Ruin may have gone through a change of vocalists between their 2021 debut Amidst Voices That Echo In Stone and their latest album Requiem, but their technical death metal retains its brutal streak. Crystal Rose, who provided guest vocals on their last record, takes over the spot from original vocalist Adam Rosado with poise and confidence. Rose is breathless for most of the album, racing against herself with every growled line.
Levity comes in the form of acoustic instrumental “Bane Of Syzygial Triality” and emotive guitar work on the eight-minute “Architect Of Undoing.” Those looking to be wowed can find it with the dramatic bass guitar solo on “Staring Into The Abysm” and the impressive lead guitars on the closing title track. Ominous Ruin are laying down tech death that is not so much redefining the genre as it is refining it.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Svarta Havet – Månen Ska Lysa Din Väg (Prosthetic)
Svarta Havet lengthen their blackened hardcore to enhanced effect on their second album, Månen Ska Lysa Din Väg. These songs are notably longer than their 2021 debut Jord/Vatten, though never in a needless way. There’s thought put into their evolving dynamics, as late-in-the-album “Under Staden” is the closest they get to being consistency unhinged for a whole tune. The group can be contemplative at one point, then ferocious the next.
It’s this give and take that gives power to Månen Ska Lysa Din Väg. Svarta Havet have focused their music on capturing the insidious political and culture climate we live in, using their native Finnish language for their means of expression. A listener doesn’t have to be fluent in that language to appreciate their real bitterness.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Tetrarch – The Ugly Side Of Me (Napalm)
The recent nu-metal revival has had reactions ranging from nostalgia to derision. No matter which side someone is on, the passion Tetrarch have for that era of music shines through The Ugly Side Of Me. The group’s transition from metalcore/thrash metal to nu-metal is complete, as they go back to when groups like Static-X, Disturbed and Orgy were putting industrial flavor into their metal.
The advantage Tetrarch have over those bands is lead guitarist Diamond Rowe, who gets to shred like an early 2000s Tom Morello on “Cold” and “Live Not Fantasize.” It helps to counter some of the derivative moments, like vocalist/guitarist Josh Fore doing his best David Draiman impersonation on “Crawl.” The Ugly Side Of Me proudly steps back to a time that some may not want to go back to, but one that had great influence on Tetrarch.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
