A blistering 15 degrees F here this morning. Wow to both of those tracks! I listened to The Descent 3 times in a row and am a second round on Neurodelirium. This release moves to the top of the list for me.
Embrace it! Feb 15. Ever since Vektor blew my mind with their Sci-fi Metal (Rush through a wormhole on warp-factor 9) similar art work grabs my attention. Trying out these guys who may not be as interstellar as Vektor but are pretty good.
Unearth – III: In the Eyes of Fire “Wander this world with tired hands” Another metalcore thing? Yippee!!!! By now, you all know my thoughts on this type of stuff. So, let’s surprise you by saying first off, I kind of dig this. Hardcore with a lot of thrashy metal. Vocals that aren’t indecipherable nonsense. Head-banging breakdowns. Great guitar work. Excellent production (courtesy of Terry Date). Still not going to ever be a go-to thing with me, but this album was pretty good. GRRR1/2
The Destro – Harmony of Discord “Crush and Control” Downtuned, chugging Death Metal (and every other sub-genre associated). Not a lot stands out on this one. Songs all sound similar. Everything kind of just follows the guitar riffs. Very hollow album musically. The songs ARE pretty heavy though. Just pedestrian. Would be a good riff showcase for the guitar player, but the rest of the band just mirrors. Not very original. GRR
Overcast – Reborn to Kill Again Re-recorded versions of songs from this defuct group from Shadows Fall vocalist and Killswitch Engage bass player. I had never heard of this band before, though of course I’ve heard of the bands they went on to. First thought is surprisingly thrashy. And heavy. Both good things. Drums have a little bit of swing to them. Vocals are, of course, just shouting, but it is decent. I was pleasantly surprised to like this one, though it did get kind of fatiguing. Check it out. GRRR1/2 Reborn To Kill Again - YouTube
Not even in the same solar system. I knew that a few songs into the Imperalist album but I did play the Vektor album right after and wow. Unbridled creativity with a massive amount of the best eccentricity. It's such a stinkin' shame the sound quality is crappy. It's a crime really. Alphabetically, Veilburner preceded Vektor in my digital stash and I played them. They're actually a good companion as they also are creatively unbridled and eccentric though they sound waaaaay better. I love these bands that are off the rails. Enjoying this which is subdued and stately. It is compared to the Grindcore band Cheerleaders Fed into an Unsanitary Meatgrinder that I'm going to start and after the backlash be exiled to Moose-Jaw. Remember dear fellows, when outside stay warm by staying active.
With my eyes to the stars and continuing with our universal theme of sci-fi metal I am investigating NEBULA ORIONIS - Starthrone Starthrone (2019), by NEBULA ORIONIS I'm not sure I'm fully engaging with this yet, but we'll see...
I chose the escape pod about halfway through the second song. I didn't want to go any further down that wormhole. Particle physics themed black metal Sure... why not.... I:Collision, by Strigae
Far out Geographically far out, Iceland is on the horizon again with Sinmara's second album. Mephitic Haze had me in a haze for many minutes as it sounded fairly common. It got better and hopefully the album will be good. March 8, 2019 Nice cover.
I remember this band from the 90s. They were fairly popular back then but I haven't heard them in a long time. I always thought they were second fiddle to the band Starkweather at the time. Both bands released material on the defunct Edison label run by the head of Very Distro (one of the biggest HC distros at the time). Another band to check out is Corrin, they had members of KSE (including the vocalist) and were much better than KSE IMHO. There is an OOP discography CD that I just pulled out of storage and will play again soon.
I'm pretty sure that Iceland was supposed to be my Terran origin, but my vessel missed by about 3,300 miles.
I'm still in orbit, drifting lost. I don't know how I even arrived at Blood Incantation but I listened to their 2015 EP. I do have their 2016 debut Starspawn. "New EP from this twisted Colorado death metal legion. New recording of four previously released tracks from their nearly impossible-to-find demo tapes. Mixed and mastered by Damian Herring (Subterranean Watchtower). Eighteen minutes of Sci-Fi death metal for fans of Timeghoul, Demilich and other oddities." Interdimensional Extinction, by Blood Incantation I bought it and it sounds lovely. Analyzed: Blood Incantation / Interdimensional Extinction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR9 0.00 dB -9.93 dB 3:45 01-The 5th Tablet DR9 0.00 dB -9.87 dB 4:20 02-Obfuscating the Linear Threshold DR9 0.00 dB -11.18 dB 3:52 03-Hovering Lifeless DR8 0.00 dB -10.27 dB 6:08 04-Subterranean Eon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of tracks: 4 Official DR value: DR9 I saw "Cover art - Bruce Pennington" and this cover is quite different from his other work. I recognize the cover in the middle left. The Art of Bruce Pennington A purple velour coat? Why not!
You guys are giving me too much stuff to contemplate. Lol. Sorry I've slacking on my "reviews". Been taking too many Bowie breaks
The part of the Blood Incantation bandcamp which said "Mixed and mastered by Damian Herring (Subterranean Watchtower)" had me look there. I'm terrible at remembering names but not faces and knew I've seen this guy before. Of course, Horrendous!!! The website is inactive though Hear the Difference Between Tubes in a 5150 is the stuff that restores faith. No wonder Horrendous albums sound so good. 2014 Horrendous / Ecdysis DR value: DR10 2015 Horrendous / Anareta DR value: DR9 2018 Horrendous / Idol DR value: DR10 Bits per sample: 24 Subterranean Watchtower Studios' FB is very active though and like hitting a vein of gold in the mine I can't think of a better place to start digging. Behold some albums. "Subterranean Watchtower Studios December 29, 2018 at 1:29 PM · 2018 has been the busiest year for my studio so far, and I’m deeply grateful to all of the bands I’ve gotten to work with. I’m proud that I can “give back” to the metal community that has had such a profound impact on my life since I was barely a teenager by helping to create records with the best sound I'm capable of producing. Below is a full list of all the music I worked on this year (note that the collage only includes records for which I have art) that was either released, or production is nearly finished. What’s been your favorite so far or what are you most looking forward to hearing? Ghastly -death metal- - Death Velour (mastering) Sentient Horror - The Crypts Below (drum engineering, reamping, mixing) Ripped to Shreds - Mai-zang (reamping, mixing, mastering) Deschain - Grit Pt II: Drift (mixing and mastering) Lo-Ruhamah - compilation track (mixing) Itheist - Full-length LP (mixing and mastering) House of Atreus - From the Madness of Ixion (mastering) Horrendous - Idol (recording, mixing, mastering) Moss Upon The Skull - In Vengeful Reverence (mixing and mastering) Pale Ritual - Acolytes (mastering) Misanthropic Aggression - Inability to Cope (mastering) Adversarial (Official) - All Idols Fall Before the Hammer (re-mastering) Soulmass - The Weakness of Virtue (reamping, mixing, mastering) Predatoria - Casting Shadows (mastering) Suffering Hour - Dwell (mastering) 2019 is shaping up to be even busier, with projects already lined up for Judicator, Horrified, Starborn, Azothyst, Ripped to Shreds, Sentient Horror, and more. Stay tuned!" I remember when I found Horrendous with this album and just about did bodily harm to myself with sound waves such was the quality of music and audio. Regarding my inability to remember names I'll have to do a DIY upgrade.
Is that a pic of the Large Hadron Collider thingy? I've always wanted to go take a tour of that place. Before they accidentally open a black hole that will swallow the earth of course.
Seriously! I am tired of waiting for that to happen. I was banking on it! I am starting to think that "those" people were just ignorant and wrong.
October File – Holy Armour From the Jaws of God “The quickest way to end a war is to lose it” Not quite sure how to describe this… Punk? Metal? Hardcore? Progressive? Industrial? Doesn’t matter. I think it rips. First note is the production. Very industrial metal sounding production (if that makes sense) to me. I thought it was lacking at the start, but by the end I was really digging the production. Again, I’m not sure what to make of the music, except I enjoyed it. Heck, there are even some “alternative rock” type stuff in here. In fact, the vocals on one of the songs reminded me of Ned’s Atomic Dustbin (look THAT up youngsters, LOL). Something about the way all the songs are constructed and “sung”. Definite late-era Killing Joke feel at times (Jaz Coleman does appear on the album). Oh, yeah.. maybe Prong too. And this is from 2006-2007. Overal, pretty cool. GRRRR
Vesperian Sorrow – Psychotic Sculpture Wow! Symphonic black metal from TEXAS. FROM 2001! How have I missed these guys? Production isn’t as good as what Dimmu was doing in 2001 (more in line with Enthroned Darkness Triumphant from ’97) but everything else is top notch. Not quite as “symphonic” as Dimmu either. Pretty cool stuff. Glad to see the Americas represent in this genre. J Instruments are clear and separated throughout. Good writing as well. Songs seem well put together. The only thing I wish it had was more polished production, but I know that is a “me” thing. GRRRR
What are the best albums by Ihsahn? I saw in store the catelogue has been reissued as a mid priced digipack CD.
