This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Abschwörzunge, The Body, Delain, Earthburner, Ghost Frog, Heavy//Hitter, Isleptonthemoo, Molder, Paysage D’Hiver, The Pineapple Thief, A Scar For The Wicked, Shadows Decay, Solstafir and SuidAkrA.
The ratings are on a 5 star scale.
Abschwörzunge – Whorl (I, Voidhanger)
There’s an air of hostility running through Abschwörzunge’s debut EP Whorl, one with a sterile touch to it. Their death/black metal has industrial noises and electronics in “Teeth Of The Hanged” that acts as an fascination towards a barren atmosphere that is left unfulfilled on the rest of Whorl. There could’ve been more of this than the exhausting pace the band love to stay caught in.
This gets to be a bit much on the opener and closer, “Heinous Constellations” and the title track, respectively. Both of these average 10 minutes each, a lifetime when Abschwörzunge seemingly never run out of energy. “Machinations Internecine” compacts this in half the running time and is better for doing so. Whorl will curry favor with listeners that want their metal uncompromised, even when songs reach progressive lengths.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
The Body – The Crying Out Of Things (Thrill Jockey)
The Portland experimental duo The Body follow up their collaborative album with Das Fig that was released earlier this year with The Crying Out Of Things. As always, their music is unique, creative and challenging.
Noise is the cornerstone of The Body’s songwriting, but they also utilize everything from sludge to punk to industrial. There are even horns on “Last Things.” The songs on The Crying Out Of Things shift from chaotic and dissonant to groovy and melodic and everything in between. Two decades after their debut, The Body continue to innovate and push the envelope.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Delain – Dance With The Devil (Napalm)
Last year’s Dark Waters marked the beginning of a new era for the long-running Dutch symphonic metal band Delain. Some prior members rejoined, there were a couple of new faces, with Martijn Westerholt the lone holdover from Apocalypse & Chill. Their latest release is Dance With The Devil.
It has a little bit of everything: a couple of new songs, a couple of re-recordings of older material, two instrumentals and nine live tracks. The new songs are the highlights, with the title track and “The Reaping” first-rate modern metal. There’s a new version of “Sleepwalkers Dream” from their 2006 debut Lucidity featuring an excellent performance from Diana Leah. The live tracks include some of their biggest hits like “April Rain” and “Burning Bridges.” Dance With The Devil pairs well with Dark Waters, displaying what the current incarnation of Delain has to offer.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Earthburner – Permanent Dawn (M-Theory)
Earthburner got their start more than two decades ago when Jeremy Wagner formed the group while Broken Hope were on hiatus. They recorded a few songs, but never a full-length until now. Wagner and drummer Mike Miczek remain from the band’s original incarnation, and former Permanent Dawn they added vocalist Devin Swank (Sanguisugabogg, Skag) and bassist Tyler Affinito (Gloryhole Guillotine), who is also Wagner’s stepson.
Napalm Death’s Mitch Harris did some backup vocals and is listed as an honorary member of the band. Take some Broken Hope, mix in a bit of Napalm Death, and you’ll have a good idea of Earthburner’s approach. The compact songs sometimes tilt in the direction of grind (“Cadaveric Coprophagia”), other times in the direction of death metal (“Broken Head”), but they all incorporate both styles. There are a couple of guests as well, Immolation’s Ross Dolan on opener “Necrodisiac” and Vixen Maw’s Jake Cannavale on the CoC cover “Positive Outlook.” It took them a while, but Permanent Dawn is a potent debut.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Ghost Frog – Galactic Mini Golf (Self)
Here’s a thought experiment, what do you get if Kurt Cobain had somehow joined King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard? You would get Portland natives Ghost Frog and their fourth album Galactic Mini Golf.
Much like their other three albums, Galactic Mini Golf is classic ’90s style grunge from start to end. “Deep Space Nine Iron” would have to be the standout track on this album for its jazz-like tone and for it to be the only track under two minutes. It takes a certain kind of creativity to maintain a motif like Ghost Frog have been for the past decade, but they’ve managed to make it work and the quality has only improved over time.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
Heavy//Hitter – Moments Of Misery (Blue Grape)
Floridian mob Heavy//Hitter have been busy issuing a stream of singles and EPs during the past several years. Moments Of Misery continues the group’s penchant for creating a brand of heaviness with proudly “OG deathcore vibes.” Heavier than a bag of spanners, the EP’s also a palpably rage-fuelled affair; one only needs to hear “Deposition of Violence’s opening salvo of “get f–ked” to receive the memo.
Carnifex and Suicide Silence are reference points on these five tracks, none of which reach the three-minute mark. There’s also hints of Ion Dissonance in the chugging “No Mercy, No Remorse.” There aren’t really any surprises to be found, and at times it lacks a distinctive identity, but servicing the true deathcore aficionado seems to be a key goal here. Thus, the beatdown attack of “Heaven’s Gate” will be worth the price of admission alone for devotees of the style. Vocalist Austin Hayes doesn’t lack intent either, executing highs, gutturals and hardcore-esque vocals over the two-step parts with aplomb. An exercise in thuggish brutality, Moments Of Misery is the soundtrack to your next broken nose.
Rating: 3
(Brendan Crabb)
Isleptonthemoon – Only The Stars Know Of My Misfortune (Bindrune)
Isleptonthemoon started as a raw, depressive black metal solo project, but since their return from a hiatus, the music has undergone a shoegaze renovation. Only The Stars Know Of My Misfortune pushes even more into the haunting wonderment of that sound, with heart-wrenching songs in “Maybe I Don’t Know It Yet, But Good Things Are Coming Soon” and “Keep Hidden” that rely on acoustics, piano and plaintive singing for long stretches.
Black metal is still a factor on this album, though “Dimming Light” counts itself as the lone instance where it’s a central influence. Otherwise, it comes and goes when the band wants to unleash a barrage of hopelessness by way of buzzsaw riffs. Only The Stars Know Of My Misfortune is a big accomplishment from someone willing to be unbound by any limitations.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Molder – Catastrophic Reconfiguration (Prosthetic)
Midwestern metal maniacs Molder‘s third album is Catastrophic Reconfiguration as they continue to raise the dead with primitive death metal rhythms as evidenced by the self-titled album opener. Molder really love to let loose grooves throughout the album and on “Pulped” that’s followed by a ripping guitar solo making for maximum enjoyment as the band continues to hack away at your eardrums to sanguine success.
They are great at varying speeds. With “Busted Innards” you get a sense of some of the earlier Death and Autopsy records in that they lack the raw power and instead opt for a worm-like crawl before coalescing as a band to deliver more righteous grooves. Catastrophic Reconfiguration is a fun death metal record, the band’s first for a major label and one that should keep them in the eye of the underground metallic masses for quite some time. Molder are ready to slaughter to survive in the underground death metal sphere.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Paysage D’Hiver – Die Berge (Kunsthall)
For black metal fans, Paysage d’Hiver are a band of unique significance. For those who like black metal as a torch guiding through dark forests and snow-capped mountains, the band’s music perfectly accompanies this experience. With their third album Die Berge, Paysage d’Hiver invite us to embark on a unique, hour and forty-minute epic black metal journey. Are we ready for this distinctive musical odyssey?
The foundation of raw atmospheric/ambient black metal is vividly depicted in the extensive musical journey of Die Berge. Paysage d’Hiver, a band that have evolved from dark ambient roots, have brought atmospheric black metal to the forefront in their previous two albums. Now, they present it in its most abstract and impressive form, reminiscent of the wonderful world of Burzum’s Filosofem. Is this Paysage d’Hiver’s best album to date? Perhaps it is. But what is certain is what happens on this album makes it one of the year’s most important black metal works.
Rating: 4
(Arash Khosronejad)
The Pineapple Thief – Last To Run (Kscope)
Prog rock wizards The Pineapple Thief issued their latest album It Leads To This earlier this year. The band wrote some material that didn’t make the final cut, and those ideas and songs have been fully fleshed out and reworked into the five tracks that make up Last To Run.
They’re in the vein of It Leads To This as you’d expect, but The Pineapple Thief push the narrative forward. Opener “All Because Of Me” is compact and catchy, while the title track is more expansive and proggy. The mellow “Election Day” isn’t overly engaging, but the poppy “The World To Me Is.” For those who enjoyed It Leads To This, Last To Run wraps up those sessions with some songs that deserved to see the light of day.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
A Scar For The Wicked – Acolythus (Self)
It’s taken close to 15 years for A Scar For The Wicked to release their debut album, Acolythus. They haven’t been taking it slow in that time, with a demo and three EPs leading up to this release. Their music spans almost every corner of death metal, from deathcore-inspired breakdowns to flourishes of symphonic keys to harmonic guitars from the melodic end. They are able to cover all this ground in under 35 minutes.
The title track and “Sacrificial Genocide” do the best job of merging all these together. It’s probably not a coincidence that these two are the longest songs on the album, which gives the band leeway for sonic elaboration. Acolythus has at least a couple tunes in it that any fan of death metal will enjoy.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Shadows Decay – Agent Of Chaos (Preoptic Distortion)
Shadows Decay are a groove/thrash metal band from Costa Rica who have been around longer than many will realize. They released their debut EP Peace In Hell in 2013 and Agent Of Chaos is only their second release to date (barring the 2015 single “Dreams On The Grave,” which is not included on this EP). This quick history lesson is to explain that, for all the years they’ve been around, they are still in the infancy stage, which shows on Agent Of Chaos.
They’ve wisely cut back on songs that would’ve gone seven minutes before. Most tracks have two to three guitar solos, a plump ratio that counteracts their off balance moments, like awkward vocal phrasing on the title track and “Only Lies.” Agent Of Chaos is a reintroduction to Shadows Decay, with its flaws covering encouraging groove/thrash music.
Rating: 2.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Solstafir – Hin helga kvöl (Century Media)
For their latest album Hin helga kvöl, the veteran Icelandic group Solstafir traveled to London to record at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. They also signed with a new label, Century Media. The band’s sound has evolved over the decades, and these days they are firmly in the post metal/rock style.
The songwriting on Hin helga kvöl is more streamlined than Endless Twilight Of Codependent Love, coming in 14 minutes shorter with the same number of tracks. They bring the heaviness on songs like the title track and “Nú mun ljósið deyja,” but melodic and emotional numbers like “Blakkrakki” and “Freygatan” are more representative of the album’s direction. Hin helga kvöl is a compelling addition to Solstafir’s varied catalog.
Rating: 4
(Chad Bowar)
SuidAkrA – Darkanakrad (MDD)
The German melodic death/folk metal band SuidAkrA have been prolific since they emerged in the late ’90s. The nearly three and a half year span between Wolfbite and their latest album Darkanakrad is actually their longest time between albums.
The record, whose title translates to “Armageddon,” is the conclusion of the Realms Of Odoric trilogy. It continues the momentum of Wolfbite with songs that are melodic and catchy with plenty of variety. Melodic and harsh vocals keep things interesting as do shifts between death metal and folkier sections. Tracks like “Unraveling Destinies” and “The Last Guardian” have an epic approach, while songs such as the mostly instrumental “Ashes Of Truth” are more introspective. Darkanakrad concludes with an At The Gates medley, adding even more diversity to a consistently enjoyable record.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
