Here is a fun game for a party: Put on “Shake the Baby” off Angelic Desolation’s new album and take a shot each time the vocals or lyrics make you laugh. It takes one look at the song titles on Orchestrionic Abortion to discover that the band has a sense of humor that recalls that of a grindcore band.
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Gorod – The Orb Review
Riffs are in their essence circular, a series of chords repeated over the course of a piece of music to make it feel more coherent or to carry a theme. On The Orb, Gorod ask themselves the scientific question of “What if the riffs were even MOAR circular?”, maybe even spherical? Get a load of this jawbreaker!
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Haken – Fauna Review
Emerging from their recent affair with djent, Haken are reaching back to their tried and true progressive metal style that graced albums like The Mountain and Affinity, with their new album Fauna. You will find plenty of synth led shenanigans that remind of the early Haken albums. Forget the flora, this is all about the fauna!
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Ulthar – Helionomicon Review
Ulthar impressed me mightily with the release of Providence in 2020, an album that felt unhinged and slightly chaotic but that still kept the momentum up with plenty of ideas. Fast forward to the current year and Ulthar announces that they are releasing not one, but two follow-ups to their sophomore album. Was this bold decision worth the wait?
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Ulthar – Anthronomicon
Ulthar embrace chaos in their songwriting, which can manifest as a sound that’s creatively unhinged or a sound that’s flailing without direction – sometimes all at once. Anthronomicon follows the same path as its sister album Helionomicon, only in shorter segments.
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Katatonia – Sky Void of Stars Review
“Austerity” opens the album with some rhythmic fuckery that is unlike Katatonia but it settles comfortably into their usual style. The following songs “Colossal Shade” and “Opaline” add some unusual groove and a kind of sad, almost Jazz-y sound. It makes the first half of the album flow by as a breeze.
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Esoctrilihum – Funeral Review
Esoctrilihum, to Gator, has always been one of those bands that are intriguing but never fulfilling. Will Funeral change that, or will it result in a funeral for our friend?
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Sagen – Roots of Proctor Review
While Deathcore in expression and production, Roots of Proctor is more Death Metal in technique. This might not seem like much but this marks a crucial difference in that Sagen show that they are not one of the Deathcore bands that rely on breakdowns to save every song. So in the absence of many breakdowns, what makes it worth your time?
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Рожь – Всё Review
Рожь (pronounced Rozh) certainly seem competent enough instrumentally and strive to make mood music with some swelling builds. The intent is not to rip and tear like regular black metal but rather to present something that is either epic, sorrowful, atmospheric and/or ethereal.
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Crypts of the Unknown: Capilla Ardiente – The Siege
