The various listens I had over the previous week, first staying up-to-date on current releases before going through the ages to listen to an older release.
First up is the newer releases:
Dark Funeral-We Are the Apocalypse (91/100)
The seventh full-length from the Swedish Black Metal masters. Frantic blasting patterns, furious tremolo riff-work, and a scorching series of tempo changes adorn a generally unyielding approach throughout here. Focusing on the faster sections with full-throttle gallops featuring tight blastbeats and tremolo-accented melodies, the controller chaos in place here is equal parts impressive and dynamic with the destructive power blaring away in this part of the album. The more restrained mid-tempo tracks trade the fury of the blasting for sprawling chugging and steady arrangements that focus on a lighter mood and ambient temperatures while not straying too far from the chaotic fury present in the rest of the album. None of this is new or original in anything they've released until now but as another frantic burst of chaotic Black Metal fury, it's hard to go wrong here.
Father Befouled-Crowned in Veneficium (85/100)
The fifth full-length from the US Death Metal group. Deep churning riffs, tight rhythms, and ferocious blasting drum-work offer a rather explosive old-school atmosphere with the tell-tale signs of the band's trademark style in effect. Grinding away with their sprawling rhythms and straightforward approach with full-throttle churning melodies against faster paces utilizing blistering guitar-work and violent drumming, it's yet another strong outing in the Incantation mold that gives this a clear representation of what the band has to offer. With no real originality here due to the aping of this format, the reliance on variety and diversity within becomes more important which is on display here with the slower sprawling sections balancing the faster blasting. With the album offering that deep reverb-heavy murkiness so famous in the genre to complete the picture, there's a lot to like overall with this one.
Redshark-Digital Race (90/100)
The debut full-length from the Spanish Speed/Traditional Metal group. Tight Speed Metal passages and rumbling Trad rhythms blistering along at steady, high-energy tempos full of crunchy riffing and pounding drum-work. With the full-throttle Speed Metal approach here, the unyielding arrangements charge through a rather frantic and one-note style that offers blazing speed throughout while keeping the dynamics to a minimum as the lack of varied sections in the patterns gradually becomes apparent. This exchange can make this slightly predictable and unsurprising with the Traditional style melodies being the only real deviation on display once this one goes for a select arrangement as that becomes the select riff for the rest of the track. Still, the old-school patterns and energy here are the more important factors that make this one so fun.
Abbath-Dread Reaver (92/100)
The third full-length from the classic Norwegian project. Blazing riff-work, sparkling melodic accents, and steady thumping rhythms carry on throughout a series of straightforward old-school patterns with a fun dynamic at play. Focusing on fiery riffing arrangements with crimson-soaked leads and pounding yet simplistic drumming, the energetic pieces here drive this along whether in a frantic thrashing or mid-range gallop which are the dominant tempos here. When mixed together with the Trad Metal arrangements and rhythms, the effect is a more melody-driven balance to the high-energy extreme Black Metal created elsewhere. The simple-minded nature of everything, with the old-school riffing and thumping energy favoring melodic sensibilities rather than the blinding speed and intricacies of their last work, might be somewhat off-putting but it's nowhere close to being detrimental.
Rotten Tomb-Visions of a Dismal Fate (86/100)
The debut full-length from the Chilean Death Metallers. Deep churning grooves, sprawling tempos, and steady rhythms provide a strong murky old-school approach that's incredibly effective at doling out that atmosphere. Whether focusing on massive sprawling sections full of churning tremolo riffs, thunderous drumming, and steady rhythms that bring everything together into the Incantation mold or unleashing faster, up-tempo thrashing pieces that offer tighter patterns and ferocious drum-blasts that counterbalance the murky production style, the impact hits quite nicely and leaves a big impact. While that leaves this with enough variety to stand out in the crowded genre and subgenre in the scene, it also highlights how much the band takes from the Incantation style so anyone that doesn't partake in this approach should knock a few points off for that factor as well.
Hellbore-Panopticon (87/100)
The debut full-length from the international two-man Tech/Death outfit. Grinding riff-work, thumping grooves, and the occasional melodic keyboard accent offer up a rather dynamic approach to the style that's quite infectious. Rather than relying on tight, swirling patterns full of complex rhythms and challenging arrangements, the main focus here is more churning traditional riffing and steady drumming that provides a heavy backbone to lay a short complexly-arranged lead run atop with plenty of technical firepower behind it. That leaves this one far more straightforward and heavier-sounding than most acts so that when it dives into the technical rhythms the chugging riffs and blasting drum-work carry a similar mind of frantic energy that's quite enjoyable. A lot of this stuff is somewhat familiar-sounding to any Tech/Death fan and should've relied more on their traditional sounds but it's not too detrimental.
Bloodgate-Solace in Mourning (60/100)
The second full-length from the US blackened Thrashers. Short rabid rhythms, ferocious blasting, and chaotic riffing offer a cacophony of noise swirling through frenetic rhythms with very little let-up in intensity or violence. The compact arrangements focus on vicious swirling tremolo patterns inside a grinding approach to Thrash which suitably blackens the material quite effectively while still keeping the extremity intact. The frantic and chaotic nature of this setup means the majority of the album comes off as an incoherent mess of short, blistering riff-work and pounding violent drumming which offers very little deviation or variety as the short tracks feel incomplete, speeding through a vicious arrangement before suddenly ending. This all leaves the album feeling very unsatisfying with seemingly unfinished tracks blending together into a jumbled mess of admittedly violent and chaotic noise.
Gorebringer-Terrified Beyond Measure (95/100)Gothenburg DM
The sophomore full-length from the UK-based Melodic Death Metal group. Blistering Speed Metal riffing, tight rhythms, and straightforward ferocious drumming propel this one through a series of high-energy arrangements full of thrashing fury. With short, tight riffing with blazing technical prowess offers a thumping base to build a series of frantic melody-driven leads throughout here with the fantastic lead guitar dynamics bringing about harmonious riffs and scorching rhythms that focus on extending the thrashing energy from the rest of the band on display. Ranging from blistering Thrash sections highlighted by frantic drumming and tight rhythms to full-throttle Death Metal with devastating blastbeats and brutal arrangements, that the melodic undercurrent is still kept upfront makes this an engaging, varied, and highly impressive offering.
Rise of Kronos-Council of Perdition (88/100)
The first release from the rechristened German Death/Thrashers. Tough start/stop chugging patterns and rumbling rhythms create a heavy-duty burst of thumping mid-tempo thrashing blasts rattling along at steady speeds. Keeping things firmly rooted in a groove-filled series of chugging Thrash patterns at a steady mechanical charge, the overall effect here focuses on straightforward patterns that retain a steadiness within the violence. With that in place, when this dips into frantic tempos with ferocious drumming and rabid riffing that crosses over into their chosen mixture quite well and provides the necessary variety to be an effective counterbalance to the chugging riffs that dominate this one. The only detriment is the odd structure of placing the guests at the end of the album so it feels rather jarring to be accosted by them suddenly at the end which makes them feel like bonus efforts with how they're placed in the running order.
And for our classic release:
Conquest (Ukr)-Empire (89/100)
The third full-length from the Ukrainian Power Metal horde. Glorious melody-driven Speed Metal riffing, driving drum-blasts and gorgeous keyboard washes focus on tight mid-tempo patterns that bring about a steady approach overall. Offering straightforward riffing and drumming that keeps everything at a steady gallop, the driving mid-tempo rhythms on display here are a heavier and crunchier offering that brings a great base for the sparkling keyboard melodies and tight guitar patterns. The reliance on mix-tempo melodies makes them stick out quite nicely compared to the few times where it breaks into the blazing Speed Metal stylings of their past which is full-throttle fun but somehow out-of-place on the more restrained chugging in place here as the lack of variety in the tempo arrangements means these are engaging enough on their own but stand out in the style found here.
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