UNALIGNED - A Form Beyond review

 

UNALIGNED - A Form Beyond

Transcending Obscurity Records

Honestly I'm not into the Progressive Tech DM stuff. But as always I give a release one listen to see if I'm willing to write something about it. UNALIGNED's full length debut defied the label's descriptions which made me interested. First off the band is not so Proggy or Tech Death to be off putting to someone who's into the old school Brutal ways. 

UNALIGNED are a five piece DM act from Florida who started out in 2020. But they don't sound like they're from the US at all. Actually they sound like they're from Poland. I'm talking about some Brutal sounding DM with subtle touches of the Tech Death. To me this band is fuckin into the aggressive butcher riff devastation. Add to that the insane dynamic of drum work makes this really cool. 

But that's not all because there's a background guitar work atmospheric touch which says they like some Black Metal. Add to that the beauty of guitar soloing which comes through in surprises. Finally there's the incredible vocals by Mac Smith who varies his singing from deep brutal growling to venomous BM rasps. All of which makes this album a must have. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://unaligned-label.bandcamp.com/album/a-form-beyond

VEILBURNER - Lurkers in the Capsule of Skull review

 

VEILBURNER - Lurkers in the Capsule of Skull 

Transcending Obscurity Records

A few years ago while writing about VEILBURNER's fourth full length, A Sire to the Ghouls of Lunacy, I clearly made an important point. When one thinks of bands from the blackened death genre you pretty much have a two sided idea of what to expect. VEILBURNER introduces a third option. Of course I found out that option was to create something which actually earns the term progressive. I also called it perfection.

VEILBURNER, who hail from a former home of mine aka the state of Pennsylvania, seem to have created something which forgoes the typical boring or pretentious aspects of what passes for prog in metal. They make it fuckin interesting. So on this their fifth full length this two piece act (yeah I know) does not repeat where they left off in 2018. On the contrary they take another step forward.

Of course their basic template is blackened death metal with plenty of avant garde Euro black metal touches. That's the easy part. From that point onward the band twists song structures into prog pretzel knots. Guitar solos dive in akin to the jazz work of Jeff Beck or even better, the Robert Fripp / Adrian Belew era of KING CRIMSON. Yeah I'm showing my age here because I'm ignorant as far as modern prog or jazz fusion go.

From that point onward you're enveloped in an ever changing soundscape. There's the dissonant tones hanging in backgrounds just waiting to jump out and grab you. The horror tinged melodic solos which morph into dentist drills while ABSU like drum runs pound away. Of course there's always an atmospheric break which is either murky or filled with grandeur.

Lurkers in the Capsule of Skull is an aptly titled over fifty minute journey into the subconscious of the truly discontented. While the heavy handed cuts full of discordance dazzle your open mind. It's the quiet yet suffocating “Para-Opaque” with it's dissonant tones, prog sound slate and whispered vocals which could be the most terrifying cut on the album. I believe my investment with time while listening to this release might've shaved a year off. Either way I believe VEILBURNER has earned their legacy with this one.

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://veilburnerband.bandcamp.com/album/lurkers-in-the-capsule-of-skull-dissonant-death-black-metal

RIVER OF SOULS - Usurper review

RIVER OF SOULS - Usurper

Self Released




So I was listening to this the other night while we here in the states are trying not to have anxiety attacks or depressive outbreaks during this fucking pandemic. I couldn't believe how calming or better yet, soothing this band's music made me feel. Hey it's sludge, death metal and a bunch more. I'm also the type of guy who blasts IMMORTAL during ice storms without worrying about trees crashing. But hey that's me.


So here we have RIVER OF SOULS, a five piece act from Holland. Sorry guys I'm of Dutch heritage and I use certain  terms. So with that said this is the second full length by this band. They've been around for a few years and although I've never heard their debut, The Well of Urd, from 2017. I just love what they do on this one. Seriously what you have here is doom, sludge and some melodic moments of death metal. 


I guess the definitive term to use for this band's overall sound and style is diversity. Yeah I know and let me slit my wrists out of spite. Even though RIVER OF SOULS use some varied song structures that feature the cold embrace of melancholy, the crushing fist of death and some damm good guitar soloing interludes. It's the vocal variety which speaks volumes. You've got some cleans, caustic stuff and total OPETH stuff.


Which brings me to the finale, RIVER OF SOULS are totally influenced by early OPETH. Is that cool? Well it depends on how much of an OPETH fan you are. I mean listen to "A Spirit's Weight" and tell me that this band didn't let their influence veil down a second. Or how about the eleven minute plus "The Tightening". 


In the end it's an enjoyable release of doom stillness as well as some melodic passages and proggy, tech death interludes. A dutch version of OPETH yeah I'll go that way. Strangely enough I can't stand OPETH. I think they suck, they blow and are boring. I've got almost all of their releases and the used CD stores won't even buy them. But this release at this space in time is worthy. Nuff Said.


https://riverofsouls.bandcamp.com/album/usurper

https://www.facebook.com/riverofsoulsband/

MORKAST - Deadlands review

MORKAST - Deadlands

Self Released




Here's an act that took a few listens in order to fully get what's going on with them. Honestly many acts are easy to pigeonhole and then there's the ones with plenty of baggage to open. First off this band comes from my nation's heartland aka: Ohio. Before I move on I'd like to point out that when certain people look upon American Metal and it's scene they see places like New York, Florida, NOLA or the whole Western Coast as it's meccas. Ah no, if you look at it all as a body then those are it's limbs. The heart and soul of American Metal is in the Midwest with it's bastions of working class burgs. Remember British Metal didn't come from London. It came from Birmingham. Remember that.


The second thing to mention is that the band self describe their sound as progressive death metal. Personally I don't think so. If anything it's basically great American metal. MORKAST draw upon a slew of influences in order to forge an impressive sound albeit not totally original. First off you've got good death thrash styled riffs and galloping rhythms. Vocals are a combination of basic death metal deep throat and harsh screams. We're talking something out of the melodic death metal handbook here but they're not taking the Swede-deth train.


What sets this band apart as far as I'm concerned is their guitar lead work. There's a combination of blues based leads as well as classical styled ones (someone likes Yngwie) which all scream 80's fuckin metal. Also give some props to the drumming on here because this guy goes effortlessly from basic rhythm to dynamic fills to blastbeats to trigger stationary beats with some jazz tom work. Basically he's keeping thing exciting. A second thing this band incorporates well is some eclectic song tempo sequences. It's something that straight up melo deth bands lack if it's not obvious. If ya wanna use the term "progressive" than that's probably where it applies. 


Earlier I said that musically what MORKAST is doing on here is not original. That's not meant as a slight against them at all. In fact they remind me of a band, also from Ohio, who came out a little over a decade ago. I'm talking about SKELETONWITCH who are playing nearby in the coming weeks. I won't say what MORKAST do on here is copying. Actually it's more like following in another's footsteps and enhancing a sound which in 2019 is all their own. I look at this as a great demo for a band who should have this release put forth to the masses. Hey kid, you like Metal? Then kiss the boot, nuff said.



https://morkast.bandcamp.com/?


fbclid=IwAR0AuM_ADp75dBmJr_0p5L4694UcpDvuUvzpFonnJ8IEC7HUYBbZE9L5dM8

https://www.facebook.com/morkast

LORD - Desperation Finds Hunger In All Men review

LORD - Desperation Finds Hunger In All Men 

Heavy Hound Records



Just for full disclosure purposes I reviewed LORD's Blacklisted full length last year. I found it to be cool as far as having an old school sludge flavor to it. Seeing that they pumped one out in only a year is a feat. Listening to this new one is kind of a shock compared to their last one but hey just wait.


Now like I said about their last one, I'm not a fan BUT I can certainly respect the incredible-ness of this release. LORD has declared all out war on sludge metal and any genre sycophants. There's still a point where they love that in your fuckin face (which I love) early sludge factor which was an offshoot of hardcore. Then they'll go off the boat to deliver some Southern blues with added female vocals. Then again they're pull that Georgia sludge degree a few paces out of kilter. 

I mean seriously this will be a shock to your senses because LORD has actually brought beauty, pain and actual progressiveness to the genre. Not bad for a band from Fredericksburg, Virginia and not from places south of their location which in the past got all the hipster credit. LORD actually has broken all preconceptions of what modern day Southern sludge metal can be. Don't be surprised in say two years that you'll hear other bands copying them.

http://www.heavyhound.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lordisbadass/