This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from The Acacia Strain, Born Divided, Cemetery Moon, Darah, Jet Jaguar, Mammoth, Mastiff, The Munsens, Psychonaut, Scorching Tomb, Soulfly, Valletta and Wino.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe From God Here (Rise)
After issuing two albums in 2023, it didn’t take long for metalcore veterans The Acacia Strain to write and record a new album, You Are Safe From God Here. It’s the first album featuring drummer Matt Guglielmo (End). Most of the album is concise, crunching metalcore/deathcore with moments of doom and sludge.
Tracks like “Acolyte Of The One” and “The Machine That Bleeds” featuring God’s Hate’s Brody King and Colin Young are deliberate in pace and crushing in impact. Most of the songs are in the two-to-three minute range until the closer “Eucharist II: Blood Loss.” It’s a nearly 14-minute epic featuring a guest appearance from Blackwater Holylight’s Sunny Faris. It moves at a glacial pace, shifting from oppressive doom to mellow sections and back again, with Vincent Bennett’s guttural growls offset by Faris’ ethereal singing. You Are Safe From God Here is another rock solid release from The Acacia Strain.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Born Divided – Chronicle Of A Shipwreck (Self)
Like the waves the ship on the cover of Chronicle Of A Shipwreck traverses through, Born Divided keep their music in constant motion. There isn’t any smooth sailing to be found in this endless body of choppy melodic death metal that’s supplemented by progressive/black metal. They try to make each song its own event, whether that be the frenzied hop of “The Dead Inside Ourselves” or the orchestral elevation of the title track.
Opener “Everything Comes To An End” has an Opeth tribute in the middle with singing that could be a doppelganger for Mikael Åkerfeldt. It’s a bit distracting, especially since it’s never used again on Chronicle Of A Shipwreck. That’s the most blatant nod Born Divided make to another band directly. Though the ship on the cover meets a woeful end, the band avoids such a fate.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Cemetery Moon – Dominion Of Ashes (Self)
Connecticut doesn’t seem to be the usual spot for volcanic black metal, yet Cemetery Moon emerge from there with multitudes of it on Dominion Of Ashes. Originally starting out as a one-man band back in 2015, the group grew into a formidable foursome that has improved since their shaky 2023 self-titled debut. That first album felt like a primer for the breathless pacing this one falls into.
Cemetery Moon tone down the less extreme components that were present before. Guitarist/vocalist Apparition sticks to nail-chewing screams without interspersing them with gothic singing, like on the song “The Bleak Universal” from their last record. The improved production values put a sharper spin on the nonstop terror of “Boundless Heresy” and “Lunar Grave.” Dominion Of Ashes has the band inching closer to reaching their best form.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Darah – Holier Than Thou (Underground Syndicate)
It’s a treat when a country you do not think would be in the metal scene comes out with something that just shocks the senses, and Singaporean death metal bringers Darah bring that energy with their debut album Holier Than Thou.
Where most bands take the first track of the album to ease people in, “Eternal Descent” wastes zero time with the punishing rifts and devastating blast beats to get you hooked in and strapped in for the remainder of the album. With a total runtime of just thirty-three minutes, it’s a quick yet brutal listen that does not overstay its welcome. In terms of debuts, it is very obvious that Darah are off to a strong start and the only way they can go is up.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
Jet Jaguar – Severance (Steamhammer)
Jet Jaguar‘s Severance shows that uplifting and energetic heavy metal isn’t totally dead yet. The album is a ride through the golden age of guitar-driven metal, accomplishing this without coming off as pretentious or corny. It’s really just trying to give you a good time with the most basic elements of the genre.
Of course, the album feels long at times; however, all the tracks on their own are exciting, even the longer ones. I would have preferred not having so many bonus tracks, but it’s undeniable that the band has the talent to craft engaging songs that make your heart beat faster and faster!
Rating: 3.5
(Carlos Tirado)
Mammoth – The End (BMG)
For his third album, Wolfgang Van Halen has shortened his band name from Mammoth WVH to just Mammoth. Once again Van Halen handles all instruments and vocals, with Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Alter Bridge, Sevendust, Trivium) producing.
In their short existence, Mammoth have already had several top ten mainstream rock songs, with “The End” from this album becoming their third number one. Van Halen has the ability to write songs that feature complex sections but are also groovy, catchy and melodic. Nearly every song has the potential to be a single, with “Same Old Song” and “Better Off” especially memorable. In the span of five years, Van Halen has established Mammoth as one of hard rock’s most successful acts, and The End will continue that ascension.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Mastiff – For All The Dead Dreams (Church Road)
As Mastiff have advanced further in their career, recently reaching past the 10-year mark, the divide between death metal and hardcore is narrowing on their For All The Dead Dreams EP. Their feedback-soaked sludge metal days are behind them, being traded in for seismic breakdowns and irate riffs. Those who heard their last album, 2024’s Deprecipice, will ease into this new material very quickly.
Mastiff strip the music bare on For All The Dead Dreams, getting rid of any interludes or guitar solos that popped up on Deprecipice. It may be too straightforward at times because of this, though their singular focus is never broken. The agenda for this EP is total obliteration, no matter at what BPM the band are playing.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
The Munsens – Degradation In The Hyperreal (Self)
Denver doomsters The Munsens take their time in crafting albums. After a few EPs, they finally issued their debut full-length Unhanded in 2019. More than six years later they are unleashing their sophomore effort Degradation In The Hyperreal.
While their songs are built upon a doom base, The Munsens incorporate other styles as well. The epic opener “Eternal Grasp” showcases everything from doom to sludge to death metal to black metal. Tracks like “Sacred Ivory” and “Drauga” are more concise, but also shift tempos and intensities. Longer compositions like the ten-plus minute “Supreme Death” are where The Munsens’ really shine, with the added length giving them numerous opportunities to explore different styles. Degradation In The Hyperreal is an impressive display of both songwriting and musicianship.
Rating: 4
(Chad Bowar)
Psychonaut – World Maker (Pelagic)
World Maker is the third full-length from the Belgian post metal band Psychonaut, who have also issued numerous EPs and splits over their dozen-year career. The subject matter is meant to be life lessons for frontman Stefan De Graef’s unborn son.
The dynamic album covers a lot of musical territory. A Rhodes organ is prominent on the opening title track, a laid-back number, while “Endless Currents” has a lot of proggy moments. Some much-needed intensity rears its head on “And You Came With Searing Light,” while tracks like “All In Time” also bring the metal. World Maker is a wide-ranging journey with many compelling parts and a few lulls, with Psychonaut utilizing a varied musical palette.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Scorching Tomb – Ossuary (Time To Kill)
For Scorching Tomb, Ossuary isn’t about being the fastest death metal band on the market. Though they shred on “Stalagmite Impalement” and “Diminished To Ashes,” that isn’t where the band’s sick intentions lie. The second half of the album makes it apparent that they adore malignant grooves, where they want riffs with the force of a sledgehammer swung overhead.
They get assistance with that in part from guest vocals courtesy of Sanguisugabogg’s Devin Swank on “Skullcrush.” Scorching Tomb doesn’t need to amplify the tempos to be dangerous. Ossuary’s 28-ish minutes are unburdened by any ideas of being profound, preferring a putrid style of death metal instead.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Soulfly – Chama (Nuclear Blast)
Across his various musical endeavors, Max Cavalera possesses a studio work ethic that’s as old school as it is arduous. Soulfly are remarkably now 13 full-lengths deep, and on Chama, Max (vocals/guitars) is again joined by son Zyon (drums). It may seem churlish to suggest this record ticks the boxes, but in this instance, it’s largely a positive. Soulfly tear through a hard-hitting approach that bridges various facets of the band’s career. The ensuing sound sits somewhere between groove metal, thrash, punk and death metal, with flickers of nu-metal. The group’s defining tribal overtones and worldview are also apparent at various points throughout, from “Indigenous Inquisition” to the closing title track.
As is par for the course, there’s a series of memorable collaborations. Todd Jones (Nails) injects fury into doom-tinged “Nihilist,” Fear Factory axeman Dino Cazares brings the hefty riffage to “No Pain = No Power” and Arch Enemy shredder Mike Amott appears on the fast and nasty “Ghenna.” The LP also continues another Soulfly tradition; the self-titled instrumental track, which while clearly a passion project admittedly does feel somewhat labored and tokenistic by now. Even well into his 50s, Max continues to make a mockery of any suggestion that he should slow down and adopt a more accessible approach.
Rating: 3.5
(Brendan Crabb)
Valletta – Bitter Lucid Truth (Lifeforce)
Bitter Lucid Truth, Valletta’s third release in as many years, has the group tweaking their black ‘n’ roll with help from Inter Arma’s TJ Childers. Chambers produces this EP, as well as contributes additional instrumentation (lap steel guitar on the gloomy “Doing Well” and acoustic guitar in the outro to “Spitting The Word”). The calming influence of the acoustics in the latter is right after the most belligerent song Valletta have written to date.
“Doing Well” closes in on ballad territory, its melodic vocals a new wrinkle in their sound. They haven’t forgotten about the hooks either, as the stomping charm of “Cold Death” was the right call as one of the singles to premiere from Bitter Lucid Truth. The quick turnaround between 2024’s Summer and this EP is not a hindrance for Valletta.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Various Artists – Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute To Bad Company (Primary Wave)
As they typically do, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame took way too long to pick Bad Company for induction. But they finally did, just in time for the album Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute To Bad Company, which was in motion before the Rock Hall selection was announced. Appropriately enough, Bad Company’s legendary vocalist Paul Rodgers also appears on three of the record’s ten tracks, including Halestorm’s rendition of “Shooting Star.”
Some of Bad Company’s biggest hits are included, such as “Feel Like Makin’ Love” (Slash featuring Myles Kennedy), “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy” (The Struts) and even Free’s “All Right Now” (The Pretty Reckless). The other Rodgers appearances are on “Run With The Pack” (Blackberry Smoke) and “Seagull” (Joe Elliot and Phil Collen of Def Leppard). Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute To Bad Company is an enjoyable homage to the Rodgers era of the band.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Wino – Create Or Die (Ripple)
Whether it’s with Saint Vitus, The Obsessed (with whom he’s currently touring) or one of many other bands he has fronted, Scott Weinrich (a.k.a. Wino) always has a creative itch to scratch. Hence the title of his new solo album, Create Or Die. Musically, Wino’s Doom Metal preponderance is reflected throughout the album but there are also strong blues and psychedelic elements.
Lyrically, Create Or Die contains Wino’s personal comments on his own experiences and on life in general. So it’s not an album that is meant to be sophisticated (some songs are just vocals and acoustic guitar) and some doom aficionados might not be bowled over. Nevertheless, the album contains a couple of gems in the form of “Lost Souls Fly” (great songwriting and some touching melancholic emotions) and “New Terms” (soulful song, with an excellent use of the banjo).
Rating: 3
(Chris Galea)
