Written by: The Administrator
Do you enjoy jarring music? If so, yer in luck: Hymn, today's band/self-reported "aging idiots" in question, are the absolute living embodiment. This release is a clanging and boisterous romp, a chaotic and jolting free fall through a gallery of outwardly weird punk, acidic skramz, and a homegrown variety of post-hardcore that perches on the experimental edge. Over a seven track stretch, Hymn demonstrate an eclectic menace and intensity, presented in a lo-fi rough-n-ready form that feels designed for the frantic mess of a cramped live environment. I’m reminded fondly of drunken and impromptu 3AM noise rock shows that plagued my college years. Very few things have managed to capture that particular brand of sonic, social, and emotion disorientation.
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Written by: The Administrator
We slumbering townsfolk seldom find consensus when it comes to the world of music appreciation and unsolicited commentary, but we do enjoy some common ground from time to time. One such instance of is the inevitable positive reaction upon the release of new music from Pittsburgh's Úzkost. They've been dropping a string of consistently excellent and hard-hitting tunes over the past few years, with a clear plan to continue releasing singles across the coming year. Self-described as "blackened and doomed death metal," this crew demonstrates a real knack for relentlessly disorienting (albeit engaging) songwriting. I absolutely loved the standalone "Mt'hr" released a month ago for its unique ability to balance undiluted and unhinged rage alongside highly memorable hooks. Needless to say, the announcement of another track following on the heels of "Mt'hr" was cause for much celebration 'round these parts. Enter "Arise: Assemble! Conjoin Your Flame!" 
Written by: The Administrator
Okay. In order to set the stage, please excuse some heavy self-plagerization. In discussing "Haunting Mantra," Fuzznaut's excellent standalone single from the long-ago year of 2020, I wrote that guitarist and composer Emilio Rizzo's work is "self-contained enough to provide certain boundaries, yet breathable enough to allow for a steadfast sense of relaxation, creating a lush environment without feeling overly complex or indulgent." On this latest project, the 26 minute Apophenia, Rizzo presents similar ideas in format that feels even more meditative, yet tinged with the emotional weight of seemingly omnipresent melancholy. Before we get too far into the fray: this is a strong album, a crystal-clear encapsulation of the trademark Fuzznaut approach and aesthetic. While your mileage will absolutely vary depending on your willingness to sink into the embrace of atmospheric instrumental music, I highly recommend trying Apophenia on for size. 
Written by: The Administrator
Let's get the obvious out of the way. If you're reading a review for a band called, erm, Chestcrush, and haven't yet mentally and physically prepared to have your sternum mercilessly shattered and ground down into the finest of bonemeal, you might want to swiftly backpedal into calmer waters. Two parts of this three-track monstrosity are perhaps the most belligerent and violent manifestations of the Chestcrush approach to date, which is saying something if you are familiar with their prior work. Indeed, Apechtheia is as crushingly malevolent as 2021’s stellar Vdelygmia. The aggression displayed is frankly pretty stunning. However, on this latest, the stakes feel grander and the violence at play feels more calculated, more sinister. The tracks are certainly longer, trading the comfort of familiar song structure for more expansive odysseys through grinding blackened death and, perhaps more uncomfortable, a viciously introspective brand of nihilism. Apechtheia is progressive in the sense that it truly feels like a deliberate progression beyond that which came before. It feels like a genuine maturation.  Written by: Blackie Skulless
Last year, the Italian traditional heavy metallers Konquest brought forth their debut album The Night Goes On. Channeling a pretty heavy amount of Iron Maiden worship, it was something decently strong, but nothing out of this world. When a young act that sticks to the basics closely hits the scene, it can go one of two ways. Either the band continues with that one trick and gets fine at best, or they take it a step further and make an identity for themselves. Time And Tyranny would see them doing the latter. So it should be obvious that the Iron Maiden influences are still worn on their sleeves, but with higher levels of originality. As a matter of fact, Konquest reflects the Paul Di’anno days more than anything, and that’s fully realized on this record. A far tighter production is added without overdoing it, the mix is at a point that literally everything can be showcased for proper digestion, and the energy is impactful even on the slower numbers. This is all pretty fantastic at its base, but if that were the only step forward, we could just about end things here with a “this is pretty damn good” and little else to say. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Since the band’s black metal inception, Worm have slowly moved away from that raw and punishing sound towards something far more layered, swiftly becoming a doom/death icon. Last year’s Foreverglade (review here!) saw a complete realization of this, cleaning up all of the loose ends that Gloomlord beheld. The early black metal influence certainly still peaked its head, but each subsequent record would see it become more and more of a background technique. This isn’t to say that it wasn’t present, just less obvious. And then Bluenothing happened. One year following the album that really sent them to a broader scope, Worm dropped an EP that takes the influence they mastered and brings forth more atmosphere and reflects more on the black metal. Fear not, as this is still packed with the bleak and empty voids of cleaner doom wails crossed with rhythms holding the force of a hydraulic press. But there’s a higher presence of keys to coincide with the higher guitar wails, and contrast the harsher death metal bottom. 
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. 
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: 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. |
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