ALBUM REVIEW: Great Falls, "A Sense Of Rest"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 21/12/2018

Label: Corpse Flower Records |

Throatruiner Records |

Init Records

 

…the band have expanded their sonic horizons to cover new levels of punishing heaviness.  Jagged shards of damaged post-hardcore now give way to crushing low-end riffs like a collision between KEN Mode and “Remission” era Mastodon

 

“A Sense Of Rest” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. The Accelerationist
2. Not-For-Sale Bodies
3. Kettle Logic
4. We Speak In Lowercase
5. Thousands Every Hour
6. Baldessari Height
7. I Go To Glory
8. Scratched Off The Canvas

The Review:

Great Falls decided to throw Album of 2018 lists into disarray with the late December release of the monstrous “A Sense Of Rest”. The Seattle trios last LP “The Fever Shed” was a taut thirty minutes of barbed noise rock fury. In the three years since its release, the band have taken their furious back catalogue as a foundation and crafted an expansive beast of an album.

“The Accelerationist” wastes no time introducing the listener to Great Falls in full flow with an onslaught of razor sharp guitar, pounding drums and churning bass. It soon becomes apparent that the band have expanded their sonic horizons to cover new levels of punishing heaviness.  Jagged shards of damaged post-hardcore now give way to crushing low-end riffs like a collision between KEN Mode and “Remission” era Mastodon. “Not-For-Sale Bodies” continues the barrage, culminating in a lumbering finale that demonstrates how much weightier “A Sense Of Rest” is compared to previous offerings. 

The highlight here is the monumental fifteen minute centrepiece, “We Speak In Lowercase”. It feels simultaneously like Great Fallsunleashing all they have achieved to this point in one slow-burning epic and a huge leap into the unknown. The opening sections are unexpectedly melodic, delivered with a restraint and vulnerability that bring to mind Kowloon Walled City's amazing “Grievances” LP. Demian Johnston's vocals are at their most affecting here, from an exposed despairing howl at the beginning of the track building to an imploring scream at its climax. As the band dynamics move between quiet and loud, the tempos shift accordingly leading to a stirring slow-motion coda of shimmering reverb-heavy distortion.

It's as if Great Fallsanticipated the state of awe the mind-expanding “We Speak In Lowercase” would leave the listener in by following it with “Thousands Every Hour”. The opening minute or so of screeching feedback followed by a skipped groove, one chord riff brings you back down to earth with a dose of punk rock urgency.

“A Sense Of Rest” is an incredible release from Great Falls. A perfect blend of ragged noise rock, devastating riffs, dark melody and ambitious songwriting, this LP should earn them some well-deserved attention.  

“A Sense Of Rest” is available (LP USA) HERE, (LP Europe) HERE and CD HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

VIDEO PREMIERE: Southern Ohio progressive grunge band Static Tension debut "Bury My Body"

As a follow up to their 2017 EP "Out Of Reach", Static Tensionwill re-emerged with their first full-length album "Ashes To Animation", which is set for release in January of 2019.  The Southern Ohio based quartet delves into new musical territories with this new release, offering a full pallet of sounds ranging from soft acoustics to intricate, progressive metal riffs. 

Drawing upon influences from classic rock, grunge, and progressive metal, Static Tensioncreates a sound unique to their own, self described as "Progressive Grunge".  The band's influences are vast and diverse, at times resembling classic sounds of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, while also channelling a grungy, sombre atmosphere similar to Alice In Chainsand Soundgardenwith hints of modern, heavy tones of Mastodon and Gojira. 

“Bury My Body” is a song that touches on the final breaking point in a person - the moment that makes their end seem appealing to them. Nobody really wants to die unless their life is more painful than they can imagine their death being. The song also has undertones of wanting to disappear completely - to be buried alone and not remembered at all, just erased from all memory. Life is not always butterflies and roses, and this song is a reflection of those aspects. 

Despite the tracks heavy subject matter, mental health is something that everyone needs to talk about, because conversation can be therapy in itself.  So what better way to deal with dark feelings of one’s own thought that to channel that into music, which can act as catharsis for the composes but as also be used a therapy for the listener.  “Bury My Body” is streaming in full below, so crank it up and allow this music to be your catharsis

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

FOR THOSE ABOOT TO ROCK: Riffs of Canada with Tunguska Mammoth (Montreal, Québec)

By: Mark Tremblay

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 11/05/2018

Label: Deathbound Records

If you dig riff-centric music interspersed with triumphant vocal harmonies, this record is for you.

“Breathless” CD//DD track listing:

1. Breathless

2. Kings And Queens

3. Phénix

4. The Yellow Sign

5. New Sun

6. Le Vent

7. Lily (feat. Jared Collins)

8. We are the Night

The Review:

Tunguska Mammoth return with their new full length “Breathless”. The album is a riff-heavy nod to bands such as Beastwars and Mastodon. If you dig riff-centric metal music interspersed with triumphant vocal harmonies, this record is for you. 

The album opens with a trio of bangers in “Breathless”, “Kings and Queens” and “Phénix”. All the songs are riff-focused, but not over the top to the point of self-indulgent.  The amount of restraint witnessed showcases the band’s collective ability of performing as a unit, and serving what is best for the song.  It is nice to see the band’s French Canadian roots showcased on the record.  Songs like “Le Vent” that are sung in both French and add subtle nuance that few Canadian bands are able to utilize.

The album’s apex comes on “New Sun”. The song is a demolition of riffs and incorporates a melody that would feel right at home on a Torche record.  Overall, if you’re looking for a record that is tasteful and well-balanced, Tunguska Mammoth’snew record “Breathless” is ground zero.

“Breathless” is available here

Band info: Facebook| Bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Rivers of Nihil, “Where Owls Know My Name”

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 16/03/2018

Label: Metal Blade Records

“…devastating, melodic, labyrinthine and jam packed with ideas. “Where Owls Know My Name” will go down as a classic genre expanding album and one giant leap forward in  extreme metal

“Where Owls Know My Name” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Cancer/Moonspeak
2. The Silent Life
3. A Home
4. Old Nothing
5. Subtle Change
6. Terrestria III
7. Hollow
8. Death is Real
9. Where Owls Know My Name
10. Capricorn/Agoratopia

The Review:

Following 2015's “Monarchy” was always going to be a mammoth undertaking- as Rivers of Nihil's last record really was superb. They have managed it by taking not only a massive leap forward but also a sidestep of sorts. Think of the difference between “Master of Puppets” and “...And Justice For All” and you have an idea of the differences.

Indeed, this record can perhaps be accurately described as avant garde- in the same way that Celtic Frost's “Into The Pandemonium”was. After the atmospheric scene setting intro of “Cancer/Moonspeak” we are straight into “The Silent Life” which is devastating, melodic, labyrinthine and jam packed with ideas. To be fair, that track description could sum up the whole record. This is not really like anything else I have heard in the extreme metal genre. If “Monarchy” was largely identifiable as tech-death, this is something else entirely.

To be absolutely clear, the textures and sounds on this album are not to be found on many records at this end of the musical spectrum. Saxophone, clean guitars, synths, jazzy drums and noodling bass all combine to make this a fascinating listen. If Cannibal Corpse and Obituary represent two sides of the same death metal coin, then perhaps Rivers of Nihil are akin to something like Bitcoin.

As the record progresses, things get even more progressive; the breadth of sounds and arrangements here are quite dazzling and highly unusual. Picking tracks as highlights is almost impossible being as the record exists as a total piece. It is uniformly consistent in that it is experimental and progressive, it is not in any way samey or boring. The likes of “A Home and Old Nothing” are all of the epithets used so far. There are pulverising bass drums, there are blasting sections of ferocious speed. There are also jazz fusion type breakdowns and an otherworldly atmosphere throughout.

The sounds and approach of “Subtle Change (Including The Forest of Transition)” is a crazily good example of technical performance and forward thinking arrangements coupled with a state of the art production. I guess Mastodon (at their best) could be used as a reference point along with black metal like atmosphere and a harnessing of technology (both in production and instrumentation) that has not always been seen as a good thing in the world of metal.

“Terrestria III: Wither” could soundtrack a 2000AD/Judge Dredd film and contains not a trace of death metal in its sound or scope. The second half of the album pushes forward just as much as the first with “Hollow” or “Death Is Real” being great examples of the record's depth and overall approach (fantastic bass work on the latter) and the title track being an Opeth-like example of prog rock by a band who are absolutely expanding the boundaries of their own playing and also the genre(s) they are operating in.

By the time of “Capricorn/Agoratopia!, I was left wondering (on first listen) what to make of it all. It's hard to take it all in. There is so much going on that the record is very hard to assess on the first couple of listens. I have no idea how much I will listen to this album going forward- it may be all the time, it may be every once in a while. However, one thing is for sure: it will go down as a classic genre expanding album. It's like nothing else I have heard and will deserve the plaudits heaped upon it. One giant leap forward for extreme metal has occurred.

“Where Owls Know My Name” is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

REVIEW: Empress, "Reminiscence" [EP]

By: Jay Hampshire

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 12/02/2018

Label: Independent

Empress have taken a tried and tested formula of sludge metal and shot it through with enough outside influences to revitalise, and executed it with both obvious competency and righteous flair. If you’re interested in a change of pace, ‘Reminiscence’ is definitely it.

“Reminiscence” CD/DD track listing

1. The Offering (03:54)     

2. Immer (08:06)

3. Baptizer (02:50)

4. They Speak Like Trees (09:27)

5. Dawn (03:30)

The Review:

In a genre as swollen as the current sludge metal scene, it’s getting increasingly difficult for bands to stand out from the heaving crowd. Sure, your riffs are peppered with groovy blues shifts and groaning under the weight of distortion, but whose aren’t? The last word you’d expect to use when describing a new sludge release is ‘surprised’, but Vancouver based trio Empresstake the framework and contort it into something still recognisable, but near wholly original.

‘The Offering’kicks things off with enough familiarity; burbling sci-fi synths are crushed under the weight of jarring chords, striding into a typically sludge riff with Peter Sacco’s blistering roars arcing atop. Slowing down and teasing with rumbling, fuzzed-out bass, it stalks into a brooding main riff with an undercurrent of atonal tremolo, ending on a strong feedback drenched chord. So far, so sludge.

But you’ve been lulled into a false sense of security, only to have the rug pulled out from under you.

‘Immer’ positively bounces with an incredibly energetic, movement heavy riff, with all the pop sensibility of a good Torche track. It’s punchy, a ‘good time’ vibe that Sacco’s vocals don’t really match until the trio shift gear and move into a muscular riff straight out of Mastodon’s early era playbook. Rattling snares usher us upwards into a soaring, sweeping post-rock ascension that is infectiously uplifting and a world away from the hard riffing of ‘The Offering’.

‘Baptizer’smoody, Nirvana-esque bass line is swallowed by the sudden impact of a dense layer of heavy riffs, punctuated by Chris Doyle’s constantly shifting drum work. Weighing in at under three minutes, it’s shorter and sharper than the two tracks it’s sandwiched between. ‘They Speak Like Trees’, the album’s zenith, ambles slowly and ponderously, backed by pounding toms and lances of feedback. Steadily building to a locked in chugging riff, it continues to climb through passages of unexpectedly stripped down hard-rock and wandering, clean contemplation, driving home to an energising finish.

Closer ‘Dawn’ is a shimmering dreamscape of guitar noodling and rushing synths, a gentle comedown from the album’s lofty peaks, a touch messy but pleasing nonetheless. Empresshave taken a tried and tested formula and shot it through with enough outside influences to revitalise, and executed it with both obvious competency and righteous flair. If you’re interested in a change of pace, ‘Reminiscence’ is definitely it.

‘Reminiscence’is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Centuries - "The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 26/01/2018

Label: Southern Lord Recordings

“The Lights Of This Earth Are Blinding” is a compelling release with a split personality,  like a cross betweeb Cursed with subtle hints of black metal and the crushing sound of “Remission” era Mastodon with a more direct punk aggression.

  

“The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding
2. Wooden Hands
3. Bygones
4. Soil
5. A Bow Across A String
6. The Climb
7. The Endless Descent
8. May Love Be With You Always
9. Fury
10. Nul Orietur

The Review:

Originally from Florida, the members of Centuries are now scattered far and wide between Pittsburgh, Nashville and even Manchester in the UK. Fortunately geography hasn’t got in the way of them making a great second LP in the form of “The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding”.

The record rips into life with the raging title track, a two and a half minute blast of crusty hardcore riddled with hard sludge riffing. This sets the tone for the first half of the LP which comes across like Cursed with subtle hints of black metal. The breakneck rush of “Bygones” is especially furious, bolstered by some pummelling blastbeats.

“The Climb” opens the second half of the album with a marked drop in tempo but maintains the same level of venom and bile. This track marks a shift in tone as the likes of “May Love Be With You Always” and “Nul Orietur” see Centuries metal leanings coming to the fore. This results in a crushing sound reminiscent of “Remission” era Mastodon but with a more direct punk aggression.

The biggest surprise here is “Fury” which begins as a dark acoustic lament that erupts into a grand finale. The sparse opening section of the song makes sense of the acoustic instrumental “Wooden Hands” which appears earlier in the album. On first listen this piece feels jarring after the explosive title track despite its moody restrained menace but further listening marks it out as a premonition of the heaviness to come.

“The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding” is a compelling release with a split personality. It will be interesting to see what path Centuries tread from here but whatever happens it is sure to be a heavy ride.

“The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Path of Might - "Hallowed Gate Style"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 07/11/ 2017

Label: Encapsulated Records

With “Hallowed Gate Style”, Path of Might adds some melody and grace to the punishing might of their debut, but more importantly cements the trio as an act who, in time, could equal or even eclipse their diverse influences.

“Hallowed Gate Style” CD//DD track listing

1. Hallowed Gate Style

2. Locust Fugue

3. Infernal Orchards

4. House of Rain

5. Mega Magicka

6. Tea and Oranges

7. Locust Storm

8. Chapels to the West

The Review:

               

Path of Might’s 2015 self-titled debut drew a lot of comparisons to other sludge masters: Mastodon, Neurosis, and Baroness, to name a few.  Like these modern legends, Path of Might infuses sludge with prog flourish, and adds some Appalachian folk for good measure.  If that tidy half hour of power was just a taste, “Hallowed Gate Style”is a veritable smorgasbord of sludge.  Over the course of eight tracks, guitarist Spencer Medley, bassist Derek Rife, and drummer Adam Lucz pay homage to their forebears in metal and prog alike, while crafting a cinematic journey through time and space that invokes images of Kurosawa and Leone, by way of Timothy Leary and Aldous Huxley.

               

First and foremost, Path of Mightare a highly skilled power trio, who lock into steady grooves without feeling stiff or mechanical.  There’s considerable production, with some distinct separation between guitar tracks for a nice, well rounded listen overall, but the organic tempo shifts and ineffable chemistry shines on the loose, jammy “Infernal Orchards”, or the swaggering, retro “Tea and Oranges”.  Spencer’s vocals push past the guttural barks of their self-titled album to move into melodies that are sometimes reminiscent of Pink Floyd, or, conversely, a younger Matt Pike.  While the lyrics are often subsumed by the heavy reverb or “chants field recorded in caves” qualities, it still works considering the hallucinogenic dynamics of Path of Might’s overall aesthetic.

               

The prog sludge infusions really cement the record as a serious step forward.  Even the interludes of “Locust Fugue” and “Locust Storm” incorporate American folk and vaguely “far eastern” qualities, even if they’re just cinematic flourishes.  The acoustic bridge of the title track, in particular, qualifies as its own little mystical journey.  For each of the progressive elements, there are lots of passages where the men of Path of Might reveal their classic rock hearts: “Infernal Orchards” feels like Nazareth, if they went full stoner metal, while the finale of “Mega Magicka” has a definite Thin Lizzy vibe.  The utterly savage “House of Rain” is the most indebted to Mastodon, with its rapid hammer-on, pull-off guitar riffing… but damn, Spencer manages to rip it up just as effectively as Brent Hinds & co.

For all the references to other artists, however, Path of Might is more than pastiche.  With their first album, they showed considerable instrumental prowess and fierce delivery.  In slightly more than two years, they’ve incorporated diverse elements without losing a bit of aggression, and battle hardened their sludge alchemy.  With “Hallowed Gate Style”, Path of Might adds some melody and grace to the punishing might of their debut, but more importantly cements the trio as an act who, in time, could equal or even eclipse their diverse influences.

“Hallowed Gate Style”is available hereand physical copies here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Nomasta - "House of the Tiger King"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released:03/11/2017

Label: Independent

Nomasta keeps its debut highly listenable by balancing artistry with barbarism. It is those moments of elegant song writing counterbalanced by ruthless arrangements that are just timeless metal. "House Of The Tiger King" gets you hyped for whatever chapter two becomes.

"House of the Tiger King" DD track listing:

1. Death Rattles

2. The Book Burners

3. Sir Impaler

4. Alchematic

5. House Of The Tiger King              

6. This Trail Got The Best Of Us

7. At The Mercy Of Sleep

8. Hard As A Coffin Nail

9. Dawnbreaker

The Review:

Everyone says they can merge lots of styles. Far too much of the time, it is super awkward business or feels inferential. Many groups suggest they can make their many inspirations work as well as a Mastodon or Converge do. Nope. They end up sounding like Mastodonor Convergecover bands doing original music of vacillating quality instead. No need to name names. You can fill in the blanks there.

A new Leeds trio, Nomasta have had several iterations in its life. Formed from the ashes of Canaya, with Owen Wilson on guitars and vocals and Andy Richards (formerly of alternative metal act Nerve Engine) on drums, Canaya’sdissolution saw the entry of Kris Allen on bass. With that, Nomastawas born. It steps into the pocket of many sounds. The young three-piece does so with an aptitude beyond its years.

Billed as a thrash band with doom elements, you will most likely catch hardcore, progressive and sludge influences throughout "House of the Tiger King," the band's debut album. And what a journey it is.

The recording begins with "Death Rattles," which is a perfect introduction to a distinctive sound. Solid thrash synthesized with psychedelic and progressive essentials make this a worthy representation of Nomasta's vision. Though only two minutes, the cut's napalm spray of guitars and vocals are searing. It is a ferocious scene setter for "The Book Burners," which rips through with melodic thrash. The riffs are withering. The vocals are coarse. And here is where Nomasta also proves impressive: track selection comes in with a high musical IQ. "Sir Impaler" continues the onslaught, while introducing dashes of prog and hardcore, which flow exceedingly well into "Alchematic" one of the proggier cuts. It goes on more of a thrash jag two minutes in, but remains steady in that early tone, carried throughout.

The title track leads you into the second half of "House of the Tiger King." Here, the music picks up the pace with a driving rhythm section and vocals riding the crest of big riffs. The band's players have much experience beyond Canaya, and that experience seems evident as the mood cascades from heavy chords, into more smooth musical transitions. "This Trail Got The Best Of Us" sees Nomastaget darker and even denser in its thrash, while songs like "Mercy of Sleep" and "Hard As A Coffin Nail" rain down hell in the form of demonic percussion and forceful lyricism.

Nomasta keeps its debut highly listenable by balancing artistry with barbarism. It is those moments of elegant songwriting counterbalanced by ruthless arrangements that are just timeless metal. "House Of The Tiger King" gets you hyped for whatever chapter two becomes.

"House of the Tiger King"is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Somnuri - "Somnuri"

By Ralka F. Skjerseth

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released:10/11 2017

Label: Magnetic Eye Records

This self-titled debut is an impressive debut, possessing a musical style that is extensive, manifesting decibels of subliminally-composed heavy fuzz and thrashing resonances inspired by a myriad of names such as Mastodon, High on Fire, and Baroness

“Somnuri” DD//LP track Listing:

01. Kaizen

02. Inhabitant

03. Same Skies

04. Slow Burn

05. Opaque

06. Welcome The Stranger

07. Pulling Teeth

08. Through The Dead

The Review:

Up-and-coming stoner/sludge/doom metal/progressive trio from Brooklyn, Somnuri, consisting of members of Blackout, Hull, and Family, they are formidably manifesting decibels of subliminally-composed heavy fuzz and thrashing resonances inspired by a myriad of names such as Mastodon, High on Fire, and Baroness. There definitely is diverse elements that can be found in their style— be it a convergence of black metal, sludge, math rock, progressive post-metal, you name it. As a result, they successfully manage to present a profound variety of paces, rhythms, and vocal ranges. They are the kind of band that would not hesitate to solicit influences from an extensive range of references in order to evolve as their own kind of authenticity. I personally don’t think that they suit only one single mundane classification of genre; they branch out in the most proficient way ever possible. They have done an awesome job of presenting how their elements can be ethereal but also belligerent at the same time-- their style is like a conundrum. It’s interesting to find trails of black metal-inspired growls in a sludge content that can be found in some tracks, as well.

The first track, “Kaizen”, is an atmospheric tune that appears to be strong on stoner elements and features a slow-paced outro which contrasts to the fast and upbeat beginning of the song. Hereafter, there comes “Inhabitant” with a blistering nuance and black metal-inspired funereal distortion. The next track “Same Skies” is in a more rapid pace than the previous two tracks, intensified by its chaotic drumbeats, and it mainly contains sonorous growls. “Slow Burn” is a droning, fuzzed-out track with prepossessing riffs and a well-crafted combination between growls and clean vocals. “Opaque” happens to be a short track that comes off as tranquil and clandestine. “Welcome the Stranger” has some circle pit-inducing malignant vibes that would trigger you to stage-dive and mosh. Next off we have “Pulling Teeth” and its convoluting riffs of the damned. The last track “Through the Dead” is a rhythmic, ethereal take on stoner that closes the album as the longest track.

This self-titled debut is an impressive debut, possessing a musical style that is extensive and not chained to one certain sphere only. It has a lot of scenes and roots implemented in its content, and it’s such a good start for them.

“Somnuri” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook