Polar Veil caught my attention simply by breaking the ice with distorted guitar in its first preview track. Hexvessel has used this before (and its members are no strangers to Metal), but Blackened Doom Metal was really not something I expected to hear from these guys. Not just another Black Metal Monday.
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Terra Builder – Solar Temple Review
At its best, Solar Temple has some novel ideas: the title track combines a Morbid Angel sounding riff with Grindcore intensity and “Dead Celestial” features a tremolo riff throughout that works well with the forward charging groove. So at least you could say that they’re a good Trem Builder.
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Alkaloid – Numen Review
Alkaloid have not changed much of their formula of Morbid Angel meets Yes in 2023. New to the mix is a slight push towards Heavy Metal leads that crop up here and there, as seen in “A Fool’s Desire” that opens with some acoustics recalling Caprae Idolum’s Matches EP before mixing and matching Heavy Metal with Death Metal outbursts. It doesn’t have any viola da gamba though.
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Altarage – Worst Case Scenario Review
Altarage have shifted the focus of their formula a bit more towards the War Metal and Grindcore aspects previously present in their work. There is some furious riffing here, that is overwhelming in one moment and commandingly grooving in the next. Best case scenario?
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Bekor Qilish – The Flesh Of A New God Review
The songs on The Flesh of a New God cycle through ideas like Blackened Death Metal à la Veilburner coupled with desperately hopeful synths that evoke Angelo Badalamenti, Jazz Fusion bits that recall their label mates Sarmat and Afterbirth-like left-field digressions into uplifting melodies. Voidhanger knows how to pick ’em this year. Now if just Billie Eilish would answer their call for a Bekor Qilish feat Billie Eilish collab…
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Sylosis – A Sign of Things to Come Review
Metalcore was always present in Sylosis’ concoction of genres but it always tilted more towards the older Hardcore leaning bands. Opening song “Deadwood” is like an autostereogram of small amounts of Dyscarnate stomp and shouted Slipknot vocals that gradually come into focus in a Linkin Park refrain. But in the end, does it even matter? Find out in this review…
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Gridlink – Coronet Juniper Review
Our Metalligator says Coronet Juniper is about to punch you in the face. While our Alice says that Coronet Juniper comes out the gates swinging with songs that stand shoulder to shoulder with Longhena’s best. This was never going to be a normal review for our Gridlink hopeful writers, so feast on two different takes of Gridlink’s latest. You’ll be drunk on Grind in no time!
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Soen – Memorial Review
Soen’s inspirations always seemed clear to our Metalligator. Tool laid the base for their debut and Opeth’s best ex-drummer, Martin Lopez, has been a member from the start. 2019’s Lotus, however, revealed itself as a watershed moment, Soen sounding more confident than ever… To kill a mocking croc…
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Massen – Gentle Brutality Review
A hazard of venturing into deeper waters of dissonance and the more extreme ends of Metal is that these genres have a hard time impressing on that end as they have to balance melody and heaviness. Despite this I still enjoy melody, groove and selectively catchy material but drift away from things that mix in overt aspects of Pop melody. Bands like Massen are instantly fighting an uphill battle for my interest, then. But impressively, this Belarus duo bring some serious skill to the format. Massenive skill.
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Crypts of the Unknown: Bound and Gagged – Fornicate the Gutted
