Month: January 2021

Gatecreeper, An Unexpected Reality (Closed Casket Activities 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

Desert Death Metal force of nature Gatecreeper release and incredible set that shows you how to do it fast and how to do it slow.

Hailing from Arizona, Gatecreeper has been creating music since 2014. Their first EP was the self-title release in that early year, and it landed a tight four songs with harrowing bravado. The pounding rhythm and powerfully insistent vocals were a sign and a statement. It was mid-tempo Death Metal with great hooks, and there was no mistaking the possibilities. Two years later Sonoran Depravation came out and warped musical reality. Many splits and singles have come to pass in the intervening years, plus a live album and the amazing sophomore full-length, Deserted in 2019. They have been throwing down the metal day after day.

The new EP is titled aptly as it is a direction that was not predictable. Separated into a “fast side” and a “slow side,” this is a Janus faced masterpiece. There are seven short songs on the fast side, and by short I mean some of them are less than one minute long with one clocking in at 31 seconds. There is a very hardcore punk attitude in these pieces but at the same time the Gatecreeper sound and hook is in their too, unmistakably.

The slow side is one eleven-minute Doom infused bone crusher, “Emptiness.” The band has never done a song like this before, and we can say the same about the short songs – even though they have a lot hard hitting short pieces in their catalogue, they are nothing like the fast side songs here. The combination of these two completely different elements that are also new to the work of the band to this point is a bold move, and one that pays off astronomically. Highly recommended.

An Unexpected Reality is out now from Closed Casket Activities. Most of the vinyl has sold out at last look, including the second pressings. The CD is still available, and of course the digital. You can get these at Bandcamp, etc.

Links,

Bandcamp, https://gatecreeper.bandcamp.com/album/an-unexpected-reality

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gatecreeper

Closed Casket Activities, https://closedcasketactivities.com/collections/cd/products/gatecreeper-an-unexpected-reality-1

Gatecreeper, An Unexpected Reality (Closed Casket Activities 2021)

Accept, Too Mean To Die (Nuclear Blast 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

Continuing their decades long tear through heavy metal history, Accept release another monstrous album of relentless ingenuity.

Accept is an iconic band, seminal in its importance to the development of heavy music. The band’s first album came out in 1979, and they enjoyed a huge hits a couple years later with Balls To The Wall (1983) and Metal Heart (1985). Continuing through the decades, Accept released a steady stream popular albums.

The recent music from the band has been fast and wicked, even more than their earlier work. Blind Rage (2014) and especially The Rise Of Chaos (2017) are impossibly packed with interminable pummeling guitars and new looks and turns on hard music regularities. There have been some changes in the lineup, naturally, over the years. Wolf Hoffmann (guitar) was there at the start, and Mark Tornillo (vocals) has been on board for more than ten years. Uwe Lulis (guitar) and Christopher Williams (drums) are returning for more clinical incision, joined by newest-to-the band musicians Philip Shouse (guitar) and Martin Motnik (bass).

There are eleven meaty tracks on Too Mean To Die. “Zombie Apocalypse” starts like a mob of shambling dead staggering straight for you that suddenly switch from the slow George Romero zombies to the sprinting 28Days Later zombies. The piercing wiggle in the lead is a clandestine offset to the steady journalistic vocals. The title song hits second, and it will be a crowd pleaser when live music becomes a thing again with its catchy licks and singable chorus structure that is the perfect edifice to hang layered guitar shreds. “Overnight Sensation” adds mid-tempo depth to the set and plays as an honorific to compositions of the past. These three songs are a good overview of the themes and sentiments that recur on the album, combined and rearranged, sifted and separated throughout to create constant vibrant variation.

There are surprises that pop up here and there, like the Beethoven in “Symphony of Pain,” sounding great in the metal guitar interpretation. And there are a couple of songs on the slower side, too, like “The Best Is Yet To Come” and “The Undertaker.” The album goes out with a bang, raising the adrenaline levels with the roaring “Not My Problem” to set up the closer, the mystical instrumental “Samson and Delilah.” This is the sixteenth studio album from Accept – an extraordinary amount of music, and an even more impressive accomplishment when you listen to the new one a realize that band is blazing as bright as ever. Recommended.

Too Mean To Die is out now. Nuclear Blast has all the variants and merch.

Links.

Website, https://www.acceptworldwide.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/accepttheband

Nuclear Blast, https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/products/sound/cd/cd/accept-too-mean-to-die.html

Accept, Too Mean To Die (Nuclear Blast 2021)

Sataray and Zania Morgan, Argyropoeia split (Scry Recordings 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

If you are looking for an aural companion to assist you in achieving an altered state or altered reality, the new split from Sataray and Zania Morgan is the tool for you.

Whoever had the idea for this combination on an ambient split deserves a raise. Sataray is a soloist who combines rituals and artistic interactions with creating and performing music. Zania Morgan is Zaskia S. Morgan who also performs music live for rituals. The music produced by these two artists do not sound the same, even when some of the intentions behind the work might overlap. Ergo, a good split.

The story is long and complicated; delicate, complex. So I am going to set it aside and listen to the music. The Sataray tracks number three. Titled “Saturn,” “Rain,” and “The Flood,” they open like the subdued tones of a gigantic intergalactic being rolling over in space. The vocal track is frightening on the first one, at least it was to me, and the building music and volume enhances and magnifies the feelings of unease. The vocalizations in the middle piece were more ghostly and calming, less threatening, even when they became urgent past he center. The final bit is disembodied, and has the feeling of pulling (or taking) away.

The Zania Morgan music is in two parts. “Crepulsculum” contains elements that sound like they could be analog approximates weaving in and around the digital flow. The vocals here are melodic, sometimes sweet, against parallel calamities. “Nyx Ambrosia” is theatrical, more dramatic. Vocals past the midpoint have a croaking, struggling execution, nudging the narrative in a darker direction, and they are elevated by the disturbing percussion.

Argyropoeia is out on Friday, January 29th. Get the digital-only release at Bandcamp and hear it anywhere, whenever you are ready for what it will do to you.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://sataray.bandcamp.com/album/argyropoeia-split-with-zania-morgan

Sataray Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/sataray7

Zania Morgan Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ZaniaMorgan

Scry Recordings, https://www.scryrecordings.com/

Sataray and Zania Morgan, Argyropoeia split (Scry Recordings 2021)

Trial, Sisters Of The Moon (Metal Blade Records 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

The new vocalist for Sweden’s metal band Trial debuts on an EP of cover tunes.

Trial (sometimes Trial (swe) ) has been honing their approach to heavy metal for ten years, most recently with the well-received Motherless (2017). The song writing and musical style has evolved over the years, and the solid guitar-driven metal on this new EP is a tantalizing preview of things to come. The members of Trial are Arthur W. Andersson (vocals), Alexander Ellström (guitar), Andreas Johnsson (guitar), Andreas Olsson (bass), and Martin Svensson (drums).

The first song, “Sisters Of The Moon,” is a Fleetwood Mac cover from Tusk. That’s right, Tusk. It might be lost to history now, but that album was the follow-up to the absolutely unfollowable Rumours. There was nothing Fleetwood Mac could have done at the time to get people to like Tusk (or any other album they might have released then) as much as they loved Rumours, no matter how good it was. Interesting, then, that Trial picked this one of all Fleetwood Mac songs to cover. They have laid the metal in heavy compared to the original and this new versions pulses with energy and life.

The second track is less of a surprise. More of an homage to Geezer Butler than to Tony Iommi, this cover of Black Sabbath’s “Die Young” would have pleased Ronnie James Dio, I think. Thankfully the airy, dream sequence from the original is a little less onerous here. Don’t get me wrong – I love this song, and Heaven and Hell was a great album. It was also the first one without Ozzy Osbourne so it continues to be bitter on my tongue. This new version is a banger, just like the original. And there is something cathartic in a way about an EP that pairs a Black Sabbath song with Fleetwood Mac song. Recommended.

Available on January 29th, Metal Blade has the goods (link below).

Links.

Bandcamp, https://trialheavymetal.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/TrialHeavyMetal

Metal Blade, https://www.metalblade.com/trial/

Trial, Sisters Of The Moon (Metal Blade Records 2021)

Bleach Everything, Bound / Cured (Dark Operative 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , ,

Tighten up your wig because this one is a quick, hard punch right to the mouth.

Bleach everything began in 2012 as a band with a central locus of Richmond, Virginia. Changes and evolution ensued, and a few years ago they also started a magazine – check out their website (link below) to see what some of that content looks like. The taproot is punk with hardcore capillaries, but they do sound different from the store brand. The band’s discography shows a good list of 7 inchers, splits, and the well-known RFTCC (2019). The band is Ryan Parrish (drums), Brent Eyestone (vocals), Kelly Posadas (bass), and Graham Scala (guitar).

“Bound” has a chorus that teeters on the melodic, existing like an idyllic island surrounded by rough waters. “Cured” does that, too, and so we have a theme carried out in two pieces over the course of less than three minutes. It is punk and maybe hardcore, but there is this modulating factor I am talking about that gives it a different ring.

The press releases reads, in part, thusly. “Thematically, ‘Bound’ explores the uncertainty of luck and life and never truly knowing how it can, will, and can still shake out. ‘Cured’ addresses the notion of figuring out how one must come to terms with the truth before death takes care of the task.” I can’t disagree with this assessment. What I got out of it went off in rather a different direction and came from just letting the sounds roil over me. You do it your way.

Pre-order the digital for two bucks or the x-ray flexi disc for three bucks via the Bandcamp link — they’ll be out this coming Friday. This one is for fans more than newbies, and the fans are going to like it.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://bleacheverything.bandcamp.com/

Website, https://www.bleacheverything.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/BleachEverything

Dark Operative, https://darkops.site/

Bleach Everything, Bound / Cured (Dark Operative 2021)

Nervosa, Perpetual Chaos (Napalm Records 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , , ,

The thrash is verily raging from the new metal set by Nervosa.

Nervosa began in São Paulo, Brazil just over ten years ago. Brandishing a rugged version of classic Thrash, the band released three albums over the years, the new one making four. Founder and guitarist Prika Amaral is joined by three new musicians for Perpetual Chaos: Diva Satanica (aka, Rocío Vázquez, on vocals), Mia Wallace (bass), and Eleni Nota (drums). It is a truly international band, with the three new members hailing from Spain, Italy, and Greece.

The new set is made up of thirteen songs – that’s a good number. Brevity is the call sign with these three minute furies, speeding as they do to bowl you over before you can tell what hit you.

“Venomous” is the no-nonsense opener that cracks and zips with fist punching riffs, blast beats, and a rollicking lead break. The vocals snarl into the Death Metal range, adding a sinister touch to the sound that matches well with the wicked themes – witness the next song, “”Guided By Evil.” Apart from the ever-present up-tempo, there are a lot of approachable hooks and fan-pleasing choruses that’ll be great live when the crowd sings along. The pressure is on all the way to the final track, “Under Ruins,” which, itself, is one my favorites.

There are a few guest appearances to add to the variety and season the mix, including by Guilherme Miranda (Revolta), Schmier (Destruction), and Erik A. K. Knutson (Flotsam and Jetsam). The album is imminently listenable and bears re-spinning at its end. The newest incarnation of Nervosa has definitely thrown down the gauntlet with this one. Recommended.

Perpetual Chaos is out now. All sorts of versions and merchandise are available at the Napalm Records site. The band has its own store, too, and there is always Bandcamp. Consider yourself hooked up.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://nervosa-brazil.bandcamp.com/

Website, https://nervosaofficial.com/website/english-home/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/nervosa

Napalm Records, https://napalmrecords.com/english/nervosa.html

Nervosa, Perpetual Chaos (Napalm Records 2021)

Coffins, Defilements (HPGD 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

The new compilation from Japan’s Coffins scoops together nearly two hours of out-of-print musical pieces from across almost ten years of work.

Coffins has an astonishingly long list of releases dating back to 2000 including splits, EPs, live albums, LPs, compilations … you name it. The music is a Death/Doom Metal amalgam that takes a grind-you-down approach to melody. The Metal Archives lists the member as Uchino (guitar), Satoshi (drums), Jun Tokita (vocals), and Masafumi Atake (bass).

Defilements gathers together materials from five EPs that have been out of print for a while: Craving To Eternal Slumber (2015), Noise Room Sessions 2014 (2016), March Of Despair (2012), Sewage Sludgecore Treatment(2012), and Live At Asakusa Deathfest 2016 (2017).

It is out now, and you can get the digital, CD, and merch at Bandcamp. If you missed a couple of these beauties when they first appeared, now is the time to make amends. It will press the pain right out of your brain. Recommended.

Links

Bandcamp, https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/defilements

Website, http://www.coffins.jp/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/intothecoffin

Coffins, Defilements (HPGD 2021)

Miss Lava, Doom Machine (Small Stone Records 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Lisbon psychedelic rockers Miss Lava release their first full-length album in five years, Doom Machine.

Miss Lava has been lighting up stages in Portugal and across Europe for almost fifteen years. They play a feisty blend of heavy psychedelic rock with broad appeal and crossover atomism. The new one is their fourth LP, and they have released a couple of EPs as well. The band is: Johnny Lee (vocals), J. Garcia (drums), K. Raffah (guitar), and Ricardo Ferreira (bass, vocals).

Doom Machine has twelve tracks with eight primaries connected by brief interstitial elements. There are also three bonus tracks on the CD and digital versions. The opener is the rousing “Fourth Dimension” that lays down a super fuzzy high energy riff supported by pelting percussion. It has a catchy pop sensibility that labels this one a single for sure. “The Mire” follows and has a more solemn, mystical feel to it and psychedelic desert flavors. “Magma” is a tantalizing bridge guitar bit leading to the second movement of three songs, each working a different angle and conveying an alternate perspective.

The second set of six tracks have a somewhat different feel to my ears, more exploratory with a deeper kind of emotional venting. I am especially drawn to “The Fall” and the title track for these reasons, with the latter going full-on spaced-out at its end, warping the set into infinity. The bonus tracks are great, too – not leftovers or throwaways, they are up-tempo and surging songs that exist in their own space and at the same time enhance the album as a vital part of the whole. Recommended.

The CD and digital versions of Doom Machine come from Small Stone Records and there is vinyl at Kozmik Artifactz.

Band photo by José Dinis.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://smallstone.bandcamp.com/album/doom-machine

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/MissLavaOfficial

Small Stone Records, https://smallstone.com/artist/miss-lava/

Kozmic Artifactz, http://shop.bilocationrecords.com/

Miss Lava, Doom Machine (Small Stone Records 2021)

Sumeru, Blood Ordinance (Brilliant Emperor 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Australian metal band Sumeru reveal their first new music since 2018 with Blood Ordinance.

For more than ten years Sumeru has been playing metal. They are typically labeled a Doom or Stoner band, but they often play up-tempo, even speedy music, and on the new release high velocity is very much in evidence. They have published two full-length albums so far, Holy Lands (2014) and Summon Destroyer (2018) to complement their self-title demo from 2013. Blood Ordinance features new vocalist Jake Willoughby, and it is an excellent introduction.

There are two songs on the EP. “Cold Chamber” leans way over on the Death Metal side with its up-tempo opening and outwardly challenging vocals and percussion. It is a genuine aural throttling. It does slow down about three and a half minutes in, layering more standard Doom filaments in the channels. The final minute is a beautiful, solemn outro. “Foundry of Dread” also starts out as a banger and never lets up. If you are waiting for the song to turn over to disquiet and foreboding haunts you are out of luck. It is fierce all the way through.

The EP is out now and when you buy it from Brilliant Emperor you get three digital bonus tracks. There is no mention of the bonus tracks on the Bandcamp page, so I’m not sure what happens there. The previously unreleased bonus tracks are reported to be “Blood Ordinance,” “Kingdom,” and “Spines.” Recommended.

Links.

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/sumeruband

Bandcamp, https://sumeru.bandcamp.com/

Label, https://brilliantemperor.bigcartel.com/

Sumeru, Blood Ordinance (Brilliant Emperor 2021)

Wedge, Like No Tomorrow (Heavy Psych Sounds Records 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

The cover art for the new Wedge album is a burning fire extinguisher. That is poetry and the perfect sign for the band’s third set.

Wedge first appeared in Berlin as is made up of Kiryk Drewinski (guitar, vocals), Holger Grosser (drums), and Dave Götz (bass, keys). They play a bluesy heavy psych that puts you in mind of bands like Kadaver, Blues Pills, a little bit like Lucifer maybe, and heavy on the jam. Every song eventually gets around to a solid slab of groove, and that is what cements Wedge in my mind. There were two albums before the new one, starting with the self-titled one in 2014, followed by Killing Tongue in 2018.

Rooted in 1970s rock sensibilities, the eight songs on Like No Tomorrow are a swim through nostalgia while the currents of modern fuzz undulate against you with variegated fervor. The music is absolutely solid while maintaining a relaxed DIY feel to it. There is some social commentary in the lyrics and you can make as little or as much of them as you like because it is the music that is going to be in the forefront of your mind when you listen.

The first song is “Computer,” and it starts with a jazzy vamp on the keys and a pulsing guitar riff. The vocals set me on an Atlanta Rhythm Section spiral is the best possible way. A couple of great bridges later there is the first guitar solo and you know you are in the right place. “Playing A Role” opts for the guitar up front and the thumping bass line lays the rail for a catchy tune that in another time could have been a big radio hit. Each song all the way through has its own perspective and identity.

There are a couple of tracks in the three minute range but most run four to five, breaking the music up nicely. The anchor piece is the nine minute “Soldier.” In the long form, Wedge keeps the ingenuity at full force and stretches out in a further exploration of themes and individuations. I am glad I took the trip. Wedge is going to be in my playlists from now on. Recommended.

Like No Tomorrow is out now, and the easiest buy in the US is the digital download at Bandcamp. Heavy Psych Sounds Records does have an on-line US shop (link below) and you can pick up vinyl there.

Band photo snagged from their Facebook page.

Links.

Website, https://www.wedgeband.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/wedgeband

Bandcamp, https://wedgeband.bandcamp.com/

Label, https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

Wedge, Like No Tomorrow (Heavy Psych Sounds Records 2021)