Year:
2014
Well thanks for Satan Spawn for
letting me write on here. This is indeed shaping up to be a good site. Here are
a few releases that I reckon are good although not groundbreaking nor AOTY
material by any means. Still all of them hold a charm of their own.
1. Descend – Wither (Inverse
Records)
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Opeth, personally, has been
much like that large menace of a tree with far too many branches (styles) to
its credit. Pictorially making it look like a BDM band logo. Lacking structure
and form with far too much of that random meandering guised as entering
unchartered territory. In Mourning on the other hand is Opeth after a session
of careful pruning. Which effectively renders it a far more cohesive and discernible
entity (Opeth was that on ‘Ghost Reveries’). Pummeling riffs with a more
pronounced sense of melody and groove adds girth to both bole and bough.
Descend from Sweden embodies the spirit of In Mourning and almost mirrors
their style of execution. Their sophomore effort sees the band netting down its
previously misplaced style and taming them. This brand of prog laced, melodic
death metal steers clear of mediocrity and lands them in this zone of ‘quite
interesting’. Clear audible bass lines that acts akin to reinforcing steel,
vocals that fling between deep grunts and mid register screams with ease, the
occasional cleans rearing to add grace , and carefully placed melody-entwined
riffs make this a must listen.
Full album streaming
here
2. Avichi – Catharsis Absolute
(Profound Lore Records)
Andrew Markuszewski (a.k.a
Aamoneal), the man behind one of the best albums of
2012, Lord Mantis –
Pervertor, also runs the one man black metal band
Avichi. His 3rd and 2nd on
the peerless
Profound Lore Records is once again a great treat for a good part.
Catharsis Absolute although not as catchy as the sophomore effort
The Devil’s
Fractal, has its share of brilliant songs in '
Lightweaver', 'Voice of Intuition' and 'All Gods Fall'. Prizing personal isolation and complete command over the
creative output,
Aamoneal meticulously weaves post-metallish melody with a much
refined dissonance that one particularly associates with
Deathspell Omega. The
track
'Lightweaver' takes a black n roll sort of posturing in the short 3rd riff
which along with a subtle permeating melody makes instantly catchy. Songs
like the penultimate
'As Gods Fall' on the other hand takes the slow brooding
development route and has a more pronounced blackened post-metal, say for
instance like
Altar of Plagues on
'Mammal'. There are a few blemishes like the
first proper track
'Flames in my Eyes', with its melding of
Deathspell Omega, early
Darkthrone and a bit of
Beherit in the middle falls flat for the better
part of the track. Another point of contention is the closer title track which
sort of overstays its welcome, while the similar sounding intro is spot on. A
few blemishes aside this is indeed a good album, although far from AOTY
material.
3. The Kennedy Veil – The
Trinity of Falsehood (Unique Leader Records)
The call for brevity in metal
rests entirely on how inclusive it can be. Brief yet comprehensive. Chaotic yet
coherent. More so for a band that plays brutal death metal. Clearly making up
the eligibility criteria to be on the Unique Leader roster of terribly same-ish
BDMers. For
The Kennedy Veil being brief is both its plus and down
point, well initially. The second full-length from this BDM quartet, titled '
The
Trinity of Falsehood' hits several sweet spots but fails to capitalize as an
album, again initially. Each song rings close to the 3 minute mark with just
two going above it. This obviously calls for some crowded riff/drum/vocal
packing. Identifying patterns in a throng is indeed hard and that is where
TTOF
seemingly falls short, albeit initially. There is so much packed content and
listening to it at a stretch becomes a laboring task unto itself. You’d be
wondering, “Then why all the pain in mentioning them in the first place?”. The
thing is on repeated listens the album slowly unpacks itself. Initial listens serve
to cast out a boundary and further listens populate and arrange its innards.
All semblance of structure appears gradually. This is when the sheer force of
the record hits you. The level of brutality peppered with miniscule amounts of
melody takes form. Tracks revealing them to the best extend are
'King of Slaves', 'Seventh Circle', 'In the Ashes of Humanity' and the title track to name just a
few.
Like their facebook page goes
“No throwbacks, no
breakdowns, no wanking, no trends. Modern American Brutal Death Metal!”
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