This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Apocryphal, As I Lay Dying, Empires Of Eden, Fiasko, HollowKin, Miracle Of Sound, The Mosaic Window, Mugger, Of The Sun, Primal Code, Thy Catafalque and Voodoo Circle.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Apocryphal – Facing The End (The Circle)
The French band Apocryphal released their debut album back in 1999. A quarter century later they have re-formed and recruited Soilwork’s Bjorn “Speed” Strid to be their vocalist on Facing The End.
The band’s original incarnation was atmospheric death/doom, but now they play melodic death metal. The songs are heavy and also inject ample catchy and memorable parts. Tracks like “All Is Empty” and “My Hero Inside” are standouts, with Strid’s first-class vocals giving them an extra boost. Facing The End is actually a new beginning for Apocryphal.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
As I Lay Dying – Through Storms Ahead (Napalm)
There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding As I Lay Dying, which has drawn extra attention for Through Storms Ahead. From the start, the album delivers that signature mix of metalcore and melodic death metal. It’s a catchy journey through familiar territory in 2010s mainstream metal. If you enjoy this aggressive yet sensitive sound, you won’t find many surprises here.
The album’s strongest part is its first half. While there’s no dramatic drop in quality later on, the tracks do start to blur together, even if they remain enjoyable. Overall, if you’re a fan of the band and can look past the surrounding controversy, Through Storms Ahead is an intriguing addition to their extensive catalog.
Rating: 3
(Carlos Tirado)
Empires Of Eden – Guardians Of Time (Massacre)
Nearly a decade after their last album Architect Of Hope, the Australian melodic power metal band Empires Of Eden have re-emerged. Stu Marshall is the mastermind behind the band, and he has gathered a wide-ranging cast of collaborators for Guardians Of Time.
Impellitteri’s Rob Rock sings on the title track, which blends ambitious power metal with some progressive moments. Cage/Death Dealer’s Sean Peck lends his prodigious pipes to the heavy “When The Beast Comes Out.” Some of the other guest musicians include Darren Smith (Red Dragon Cartel), David Readman (Pink Cream 69), Genevieve Rodda (Temtris), John Gallagher (Raven) and Mike LePond (Symphony X). As you’d expect with this many guests, Guardians Of Time has a lot of diversity. However, Marshall’s songwriting manages to make it a cohesive effort.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Fiasko – Amok ꓘoma (Self)
Polish group Fiasko have gone through an evolution in the seven years since their debut album, Głupcy Umierają. What began as upbeat metal with dominant electronics has now become seedy, sludgy black metal on Amok ꓘoma. It’s jarring to compare both albums side-by-side, but this version of them is one that was held down before. That’s no longer the case, as they let their primal urges run free.
With the exception of an acoustic outro to “Sztuczne Kwiaty,” Fiasko drench the album in emotional upheaval based around nihilistic visions. Samples of something (or maybe someone) being buried and torture sessions are used to ramp up these visions throughout. As all of this is growled and screamed in their native language, Amok ꓘoma becomes transfixed in expressing all the negativity Fiasko have within.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
HollowKin – Confessions & Failures (Self)
The UK metalcore quintet HollowKin only formed late last year. They have wasted no time in writing and issuing their debut, the five track EP Confessions & Failures.
There are four proper songs plus an intro. “Leech” is heavy with some thrash influences while “A Pilgrimage” adds some atmospherics to augment the thick grooves. There are the typical metalcore combination of harsh vocals and melodic singing. The unclean vocals are potent, while the singing is serviceable. HollowKing incorporate a nice amount of variety on Confessions & Failures, whetting the appetite on what they might be able to deliver on a full-length.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Miracle Of Sound – Materia: Best Of 2011-2024 (Napalm)
The Irish musician Gavin Dunne created the project Miracle Of Sound, and his music has become very popular with the online gaming community. After releasing the albums Level 1 through Level 12 digitally over the past dozen years or so, he has signed with Napalm for Miracle Of Sound’s first physical release.
The songs on Materia: Best Of 2011-2024 are mostly folk metal that tell tales of pirates, Vikings and Celtic history. Miracle Of Sound explore other styles as well, such as the heavy “Road Rage” and the groovy rocker “Take It Back.” The 11 songs (along with an alternate version of “Valhalla Calling”) present some of Miracle Of Sound’s strongest material, and invites exploration into his back catalog.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
The Mosaic Window – Hemasanctum (Willowtip)
Andrew Steven Brown, the creative mind behind The Mosaic Window, began working on songs for Hemasanctum quickly after the release of last year’s Plight Of Acceptance. Death cast a heavy burden over that album, while this one goes through the full scope of life, from birth all the way to its finale. A baby cries in opener “Incantation To Summon The Unstable” and a woman with an impeding loss ahead weeps on closer “Hymn To Silence The Light.”
All of this is held in place by melodic black/death metal not far removed from the band’s previous album. There are a few new elements, like an outside drummer brought in and renowned guitarist Andy LaRocque adding guitar solos to “The Pounding Of Hooves” and “Turibulum.” This outsourcing is to The Mosaic Window’s advantage on Hemasanctum, giving real power to Brown’s profound thoughts on our existence.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Mugger – Luck Forever (Quiet Panic)
The Austin, Texas hardcore crew Mugger (with a lineup features members of Creepoid, The Well and Radioactivity) emerged earlier this year with the EP Get A Clue. They quickly follow that up with the full-length Luck Forever.
Their songs are very streamlined, clocking in from less to a minute to a maximum of about 2 and a half minutes. Mugger, behind vocalist Anna Troxell, pack plenty of hooks, riffs and attitude into each track. Old school hardcore, fast and raw, drives the album, with brief sidebars into other genres. There’s also a guest appearance from Negative Approach’s John Brannon on the groovy “Find Out.” Sometimes chaotic, other times melodic, and always interesting, Luck Forever is a potent dose of punk and hardcore.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Of The Sun – Pattern Rebirth (Self)
Of The Sun’s latest EP, Pattern Rebirth, is a tale of two sides centered around progressive death metal. For the first half, “Riot Act” and the title track keep the gaze squarely on being audacious with technically proficient musicianship. Vocalist/guitarist Patrick Duvall is the main songwriter behind the band and he uses these songs to give the musicians he brings onboard a chance to share in the attention.
“Under” and “Lost Tongue” close out Pattern Rebirth by expanding on progressive sounds and letting Duvall put his vocal range to the test with mournful harmonies. The latter gets close to ballad territory in its early minutes, and the use of maracas and gaita put a worldly spin on the track. The EP ends better than it begins, as the second half takes bigger risks with better payoffs.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Primal Code – Opaque Fixation (Relapse)
Opaque Fixation is death metal gutted to its original skeleton, back when a good riff was the key objective. Primal Code know this well, as their music avoids anything bombastic like screeching guitar solos. Their idea of an “Intro” track is pixilated noise, and while the 40-second opener isn’t much of an advancement tactic, it does set up how unforgiving this trio are on their debut album.
For a group that stays with the fundamentals, there’s a number of sections where they jam out for a while. A song may end vocally but still have another minute or two to go where it’s just them breathing in rank air. “Derelict” and “Extinction” are where this really becomes evident, though they also squeeze in a great anthem with “IWL.” Opaque Fixation is an album that could fit in any time period for how Primal Code reach into the very essence of the genre.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Thy Catafalque – XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek (Season Of Mist)
Tamás Kátai, the creator of the avant-garde metal outfit Thy Catafalque, has been especially prolific over the past few years. He follows up last year’s Alföld with XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek, which translates to Twelve: The Beautiful Dreams Are Yet To Come.
A quarter century after their debut album Sublunary Tragedies, Thy Catafalque remain as creative and inscrutable as ever. More than two dozen guest musicians appear on the record, many from the Hungarian metal scene. Opener “Piros Kocsi, Fekete Éj” is melodic and accessible, with the avant-garde kicking in on “Mindenevo.” There are heavy tracks like “Vasgyar” that are contrasted by folkier and proggier numbers such as “Vakond.” The album concludes with a cover of Omega’s “Babylon.” XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek is a dynamic album full of contrasts, with some songs that are instantly engaging and others that take a while to absorb, making for another intriguing Thy Catafalque release.
Rating: 4
(Chad Bowar)
Voodoo Circle – Hail To The King (AFM)
After a three year gap between their 2021 album Locked & Loaded ,German hard rock veterans Voodoo Circle are issuing their their seventh studio album Hail To The King.
“Black Country” would be one of two songs on Hail To The King that stand out for being based on lead singer David Readman’s life experience. The other track that stands out is “All For One” for being the only song that has a nice little orchestral opener to lead the song in. Though Voodoo Circle have lovingly taken their inspiration from the likes of Whitesnake and Deep Purple, the album as a whole feels generic and nothing much changed since their debut album in 2008.
Rating: 3
(Dalton Husher)
