Our This Week in Metal post collects our thoughts on music released in or around this week in the music world. We cover mostly metal, but we consider other genres to allow our writers poseur flexibility. Follow us on Instagram too!
Scuttlegoat's Curmudgeonly Critique
Unsouling describe their personal style as broadly death metal, but they are eager to highlight influences from darkwave and gothic music. Frankly, they might be right about their influences, but in cases like these, the promo blurb also sets expectations. So just how well do Unsouling practice what they preach?
Blár's Beckoning Blurb
Are you impatient when it comes to finding new albums at the start of a new year? To be fair, we haven’t gotten particularly far into 2024—but out of everything that has passed through my ears so far, post-hardcore release Quatro Vientos // Cinco Soles has come the closest to scratching that new-music-itch. Quatro comezóns // Cinco rascadors.
Metalligator's Chomping Commentary
For Caligula’s Horse, Charcoal Grace is a return to the kind of songwriting that attempts to develop a lot over their runtime of extended-length songs. This band is very adept at their vocal hooks, so it’s no surprise that they lean into the vocals for this newest album. This is NOT a horse of a different color. But it is prog!
Cosmo's Chaotic Curveballs
I am not normally a thrash fan. Usually, I think of it as nothing more than a wild government conspiracy theory, but when a thrash album manages to get me to take off the tinfoil hat, it’s real special. Have Sovereign actually managed to alter Cosmo’s thrash perception?
Hoplites is a one-man Chinese black metal/hardcore band that emerged out of nowhere and proceeded to release three full lengths over the course of 2023. I thought each release was slightly better than the last, but none of them really had memorable moments, instead feeling like an aimless jam session each time that threw elements at the wall to see what stuck. Where does that leave the new album? Find out in this review...
