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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7 H. Target – Yantra Creating Review
It seems that it is a rite of passage for Tech Death acts to at some point play up the transcendental nature of their music. This usually manifests either as a Buddhist influence or more general Indian mysticism. 7 H. Target, Russian Slam weirdos, have now also committed to the trope. Are they on or off target?
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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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Hellripper – Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags Review
Hellripper’s got a new one out, and Cosmo is hoping that he doesn’t fulfill the plight of Icarus and crash into the sea with failed expectations. There’s always a certain level of expectation going into a new album from a beloved band. Let’s hope this doesn’t cause a case of premature eblackulation.
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Anachronism – Meanders Review
That Meanders is a quality record is pretty obvious from the start. Taking and weaving their influences into something cohesive and unique is no small feat. It hits me on an emotional level, but I admit that as a musician myself, there is an intellectual bias to an album like this. Want some Bacon with that?
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Conjureth – The Parasitic Chambers Review
Conjureth are certainly talented. The band deals in a type of auditory chaos that could just as well be considered sloppy but that adds to the experience here – an album so aggressive and wild, bursting at its seams, that the musicians can barely hold it together. Enter the chambers of Conjureth!
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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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Crypts of the Unknown: Khonsu – The Xun Protectorate
