Written by: Blackie Skulless
After actually waiting over a whole year to put out a new full-length, Haunt have come forward with album number six! Considering the rate, I have taught myself to enter new discs without any preconceived expectations, but I’m thrilled to report that Windows Of Your Heart brings forth a little more memorability. While 2021's Beautiful Distraction was still a solid disc, that was my main qualm outside of its title track. Stylistically I wouldn’t really call this one anything much different, but its execution is interesting enough. From the gate, you get a bit of a refreshed feeling from opener “Mercenaries.” The speed metal boost that’s brought forward breathes new energy, especially with the way it fills in the gaps with softer clean guitars. Similar energy exists on “No Control,” though I will admit that this one doesn’t utilize repetition as well as it could have. That isn’t utilized too heavily throughout the album as a whole, though.
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Written by: The Administrator
No doubt about it: Through Mists' rampant release schedule has reached a new rate of impressive. Indeed, our eagle-eyed readers will note that our latest track premiere, published a few weeks back, was...also a Through Mists release, the slumber-obliterating "Awaken the Sleeping Village." This newest album, Mindless Automations, offers a conceptual tragic narrative with the trademark progressive inclinations and sharp bite we've only come to expect. The story follows a worse-for-wear protagonist who, after having been driven from his flock, consistently endures vicious attacks. As a lover of A. creative concept albums, B. kickass underground music, and C. bird violence, this album certainly grabbed my attention. I hope it similarly grabs you. Without further ado, then: check out Mindless Automations in full below! It is officially available now, so if you like what you hear, check it out and grab yerself a copy. As always, we'll meet ye on the other side to discuss (and, of course, wipe up the blood. 
Written by: Lord Hsrah
Portland based heavy metal quartet Splintered Throne's latest offering in The Greater Good of Man comes as a solid slab of classic heavy metal, with a touch of modernity. Reborn with a new lineup reinforced with the addition of vocalist Lisa Mann, The Greater Good of Man blends sonic flavors and audio textures, old and new, combining certain elements from progressive rock, some from speed metal and those of traditional heavy metal, culminating into eight brand new tracks of epic, modern heavy metal goodness. The album opens with a banger of a tune reminiscent of the late 80s Judas Priest, Grave Digger-esque speed/heavy metal style of riffage and overall progresses in similar vain all throughout the rest of the tracks on the record. Add to that the epic vocal lines and melodic passages, and you've got a pretty solid and epic sets of songs to bang your head to. 
Written by: The Administrator
We make a deliberate attempt to keep things from getting too stagnant 'round these parts. However, every once in a while, we slumbering scribes are hit with something utterly outside the confines of expectation: take today's premiere as a prime example. Through Mists' "Awaken the Sleeping Village" is a track that heavily features our moniker, and, beyond that, was inspired by a prompt we randomly tweeted. This is new. This is unexpected. Most importantly, this is cool as hell. I'm honored to be running this premiere here today. The prompt in question? On July 3rd, I cast the following into the void: "Death metal song where the solo starts a third of the way through and then just keeps fuckin' going until the song ends." Through Mists immediately responded "Challenge accepted." And here we are, challenge met with great aplomb. Check out "Awaken The Sleeping Village Below, and, as always, we'll meet ye on the other side! 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Continuing the recent trend of dropping an album every half-decade or so, Germany’s thrash masterminds Kreator prove what proper amounts of time can do for a new record. 2017’s Gods Of Violence wound up taking album of the year for me. While I may not go that far now, Millie and Co. have conjured up a solid follow-up to it with Hate Über Alles. It follows a similar path to what they’ve been doing since 2001’s Violent Revolution, yet twenty-one years later they’ve still managed to keep it interesting. Admittedly, this one didn’t snatch me in as quickly as the prior two records did. But after a few listens, I was able to capture plenty of interesting ideas being offered. The previous record saw a bit more melody, and while Hate Über Alles doesn’t dial that in as hard, it still remains a prominent factor. “Strongest Of The Strong'' is absolutely loaded with traditional metal hooks with their Teutonic thrashy touch, and the same can be said about “Pride Comes Before The Fall'." The latter cakes on some beautiful singing amongst keys and melodies. “Midnight Sun” certainly focuses on that as well, featuring German new-wave vocalist Sofia Portanet on vocals, adding all sorts of atmosphere. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Basically making a name for themselves as one of the modern thrash giants, Municipal Waste have gone through some subtle changes throughout their two decade career. In 2019, they gave us a short taste called The Last Rager, one that I was actually rather disappointed in. So it came as a relief that the latest Electrified Brain didn’t leave nearly as much to be desired. Tony Foresta and Co. make a brand of thrash that after too long needs at least subtle stylistic shifts to remain relevant. On that front, Electrified Brain is unsurprisingly the sharpest record they’ve ever released. Focusing the tiniest bit more energy on melody while cleaning the delivery on the hardcore-dense tracks is the name of the game here, but doesn’t stray too far from the previous full-length. A few standouts that really beat the “crossover” aspect fit nicely while breaking up the cleaner aesthetic. “Blood Vessel-Boat Jail” reigns in some blast beats, while tackling a more abrasive front. “Putting On Errors” may be the only other tune that goes as hard or fast as this one.
This year, in an attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we're trying something new and novel around these parts. Namely, we're gonna actually publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. In that spirit, here's a mini-review of a single worth checking out.
Written by: The Administrator
For those of ye unfamiliar, Settle For Shadows makes music that feels distinctly weird. This is evidenced across a swath of quality projects over the past few years. Even those earliest releases, which feel a little easier to nail down, are nonetheless quite quirky in their willingness to throw unexpected passages into the fray with nary a backward glance. That said, Settle For Shadows makes a fairly substantial turn on this latest single "The Mourn," delivering a blistering blend of raw symphonic black metal with a healthy deathcore stomp and vigor. There's an underlying chug on display that isn't present in the jazzy avant-gardism of Settle For Shadow's (excellent) 2022 The Bleak Demo, alongside a potent sense of organic chaos that feels a far cry from the punkier early EPs. The Bleak also presents a marching momentum that feels almost industrial from a percussive point of view, yet the vocals and symphonic elements lend the whole affair a delightfully untethered quality. Balancing the ethereal with the more overt aggression is always going to be a difficult game, but here, Settle For Shadows walks that line pretty damn well. "The Mourn" is a very cool single. Moreover, it is an intriguing and enjoyable new direction for a band that has consistently delivered intriguing and enjoyable music. I'd be very excited to hear more music like this, but would also consider myself suffonsified should Settle For Shadows elect to switch up the formula on the next release. Unpredictability is an underrated characteristic. Bottom line? I recommend you snag it here. Settle For Shadows - The Mourn was released August 5th, 2022 
Written by: The Administrator
Let's start with the obvious. As anyone you has listened to their music will attest, attempting to pigeonhole or pin down Horned Wolf in the span of a mere introductory paragraph (or, indeed, the span of a whole review) is a fairly fruitless activity. This crew demonstrates little regard for genre expectation or compositional convention on Become Like They Are, and, as a result, their work sticks out from the crowd in a big way. To be markedly different and hence produce unique results is always an excitingly quality. Refreshing, even. I'll be upfront: I've spent a lot of time with this album this year. A scary amount. If it tops my list o' most listened albums, I won't be surprised in the slightest. If the brilliant title track isn't my most consumed song of the year, I'll eat my boots. Paradoxically, though, this obsessive listening has been to the detriment of my actual ability to wrap up the review. The "listening for enjoyment" phase never really ended, and the "listening for writing" phase never truly began in earnest. In retrospect, this is obviously a Very Good problem to have, as much of the time spent with Become Like They Are has been pure and unadulterated by notions of my own imposed narrative framing or turns of phrase. But! In any case, here we are. Let's get the fuck into it already. 
Written by: Chuck
Gates To The Morning are a worldy band. Not as in world music, rather, they have a stunning ability to craft a recognizable and familiar world in which their sound lives. All of their songs have a distinct connective tissue that binds them to a common essence. There is a mythology to their timbre; concept albums for sonic expression. Walk Between Worlds delivers both a response to, and a continuation of, their stunning 2019 debut Return to Earth, revisiting lyrics and melodies in a progression and expansion of that message. “I have never seen your colors that way” is a strikingly apt description of the music, being that most songs are reworked versions of their presentation in the debut. None lose their general shape and all retain a recognizability and connection to the original form. That is not to say there is no new material--there certainly is, and it is cohesively blended together creating a work that stands on its own.
Guest Post by: Ria Wigley
1. Old Nick
If there’s one thing that defines the microgenre of Vampyric Black Metal other than lyrics and imagery about vampires, it is flamboyant, dare I say CAMP riffs, a big focus on atmospheric synths, and absurd song titles. No band exemplifies this better than Old Nick. In fact, the 16-bit inspired keyboard sounds were almost too silly for me to really enjoy this band upon first listen, but after giving it more time I quickly grew to love it. There is an inherent silliness to the obsessive adherence to a particular aesthetic that most vampire media portray, even when it still manages to be coldly sinister and atmospheric at the same time, and Old Nick is the perfect musical representation of that. If you were hoping for second wave worship with some more gothic elements...well this isn’t that, it’s much better. Plus, who doesn’t love song titles like "Blood, Blood, Blood, Blood, Blood" or "Spooky Wicker Basket 1994 (Yes, a witch!)" Recommended album: A New Generation of Vampiric Conspiracies |
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