#nov23 — Public Fediverse posts

Tag der Polyamorie – 23. November
♾️ ❤️
Der Tag erinnert uns daran, dass Polyamorie am 23.11.2011 in Kanada legalisiert wurde, ein Meilenstein für Sichtbarkeit, für Beziehungsfreiheit und für die Anerkennung, dass Liebe nicht in starre Grenzen gezwängt werden muss.
Für die Freiheit, mehrere Menschen gleichzeitig zu lieben – ohne Hierarchie, ohne Zwang.
Ein klares Nein zu Stigmatisierung und Unsichtbarkeit.

#polyamorie #tagderpolyamorie #Nov23

Tag der Polyamorie – 23. November
♾️ ❤️
Der Tag erinnert uns daran, dass Polyamorie am 23.11.2011 in Kanada legalisiert wurde, ein Meilenstein für Sichtbarkeit, für Beziehungsfreiheit und für die Anerkennung, dass Liebe nicht in starre Grenzen gezwängt werden muss.
Für die Freiheit, mehrere Menschen gleichzeitig zu lieben – ohne Hierarchie, ohne Zwang.
Ein klares Nein zu Stigmatisierung und Unsichtbarkeit.

#polyamorie #tagderpolyamorie #Nov23

Neurectomy – Overwrought Review

By Felagund

I just couldn’t turn down an album by a band called Neurectomy. I’ve heard of a lot of medical procedures in my day, but I wasn’t as familiar with the process by which a nerve is severed or removed to reduce pain, never to grow back again. With a new “ectomy” added to my growing surgical lexicon, I was still apprehensive. But while tech death can certainly be hit or miss (with the misses often being tedious, forgettable affairs), I was far too interested in the band name and the album art to let something as silly as past experience impact my decision-making. And that is how I ended up with New York-based Neurectomy’s debut album Overwrought on my to-do list. And while I can’t speak to the band’s abilities when it comes to nerve-related removal, I certainly have my opinions when it comes to their brand of unrelenting technical death metal.

Some of my favorite tech death albums from recent years strike a key balance: they’re able to whip plenty of technical wizardry at the listener without sacrificing emotion, accessibility, or (just a drop or two) of melody. Groups like Carnosus, Archspire, Obscura and a host of others have found success (in my own bold estimation) by implementing this approach to varying degrees. Neurectomy certainly whip technical wizardry at the listener, bouncing as they do from one skillful, mind-bending solo to another. The problem is that Neurectomy were so focused on reaching such lofty heights of proficiency that they forgot to make actual, memorable songs. Why write a compelling riff when you can toss in another squealing, lightning-fast solo? Why leave room for an atmospheric interlude when you can delve into another whirlwind of impressive, soulless guitar noodling? If this sounds harsh, it’s because I know Neurectomy can write more balanced songs, they just chose not to.

Case in point: album opener “Abducted for Research” kicks off in a grimy, fetid fashion before finding a wonky, almost dissonant groove that immediately grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, this interesting groove is quickly abandoned in favor of less memorable, speed-demon technicality. It returns again near the end of the track, but is once more unceremoniously replaced by more “look what I can do!” guitar work. Following track “Culinary Cadaveric Art” also hints at Neurectomy’s ability to compose music beyond an array of bright n’ shiny solos. This tune features a big, thick riff that caused my ears to perk up. Could they be going in a different direction? Are we going to get more than undeniably proficient but utterly unmoving musicianship? No. The aforementioned big, thick riff disappears almost as quickly as it arrives, to be replaced by a brief bass solo and more gratuitous guitar wankery.

And it’s here, after only two tracks, that Overwrought truly devolves into flamboyant futility. The band Rush have an instrumental tune entitled “La Villa Strangiato” from 1978 that has a particularly apt subtitle: “An Exercise in Self-Indulgence.” And that’s what the following 6 songs feel like to these battered eardrums: a 32-minute opportunity to prove to the listener just how talented these musicians are. I cannot deny that the oddly-named track “Dolphin” features a stellar opening that feels like you’re being sucked into a black hole. I will gladly report that mid-album number “Zombified” includes an unexpected, jazz-tinged section. And I’ll happily exclaim that closer “Crimson Tsunami” flirts with an honest-to-goodness riff as well as a slower, more moody interlude (featuring a solo, of course). But all of these brief, shining moments are merely minor exceptions that prove the rule. Add in percussive, deathened growls that only serve to further punctuate this dizzying display, and you’re left with an album that, like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, is plenty shiny but has no heart to speak of.

Sometimes an album isn’t bad because the band aren’t talented, but because technical prowess becomes the sole marker for success. If we were to award Neurectomy points for stellar musicianship, the score below would indeed be a lot higher. It’s not that what they’ve produced is unlistenable; far from it. But it’s also painfully forgettable. It’s mad scramble to produce more squealing notes, more solos capped off by more pitch harmonics is impressive, but it’s also excessive. Perhaps I find this slab all the more frustrating because it’s clear Neurectomy are capable of finding humanity amidst the wizardry, they just refused to go that route. And the result? A debut that is overindulgent, overproduced, and exceedingly Overwrought.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: neurectomy.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/neurectomy
Releases Worldwide: November 17th, 2023

#15 #2023 #AmericanMetal #Archspire #Carnosus #Neurectomy #Nov23 #Obscura #Overwrought #Review #Reviews #Rush #SelfReleases #TechnicalDeathMetal

Neurectomy – Overwrought Review

By Felagund

I just couldn’t turn down an album by a band called Neurectomy. I’ve heard of a lot of medical procedures in my day, but I wasn’t as familiar with the process by which a nerve is severed or removed to reduce pain, never to grow back again. With a new “ectomy” added to my growing surgical lexicon, I was still apprehensive. But while tech death can certainly be hit or miss (with the misses often being tedious, forgettable affairs), I was far too interested in the band name and the album art to let something as silly as past experience impact my decision-making. And that is how I ended up with New York-based Neurectomy’s debut album Overwrought on my to-do list. And while I can’t speak to the band’s abilities when it comes to nerve-related removal, I certainly have my opinions when it comes to their brand of unrelenting technical death metal.

Some of my favorite tech death albums from recent years strike a key balance: they’re able to whip plenty of technical wizardry at the listener without sacrificing emotion, accessibility, or (just a drop or two) of melody. Groups like Carnosus, Archspire, Obscura and a host of others have found success (in my own bold estimation) by implementing this approach to varying degrees. Neurectomy certainly whip technical wizardry at the listener, bouncing as they do from one skillful, mind-bending solo to another. The problem is that Neurectomy were so focused on reaching such lofty heights of proficiency that they forgot to make actual, memorable songs. Why write a compelling riff when you can toss in another squealing, lightning-fast solo? Why leave room for an atmospheric interlude when you can delve into another whirlwind of impressive, soulless guitar noodling? If this sounds harsh, it’s because I know Neurectomy can write more balanced songs, they just chose not to.

Case in point: album opener “Abducted for Research” kicks off in a grimy, fetid fashion before finding a wonky, almost dissonant groove that immediately grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, this interesting groove is quickly abandoned in favor of less memorable, speed-demon technicality. It returns again near the end of the track, but is once more unceremoniously replaced by more “look what I can do!” guitar work. Following track “Culinary Cadaveric Art” also hints at Neurectomy’s ability to compose music beyond an array of bright n’ shiny solos. This tune features a big, thick riff that caused my ears to perk up. Could they be going in a different direction? Are we going to get more than undeniably proficient but utterly unmoving musicianship? No. The aforementioned big, thick riff disappears almost as quickly as it arrives, to be replaced by a brief bass solo and more gratuitous guitar wankery.

And it’s here, after only two tracks, that Overwrought truly devolves into flamboyant futility. The band Rush have an instrumental tune entitled “La Villa Strangiato” from 1978 that has a particularly apt subtitle: “An Exercise in Self-Indulgence.” And that’s what the following 6 songs feel like to these battered eardrums: a 32-minute opportunity to prove to the listener just how talented these musicians are. I cannot deny that the oddly-named track “Dolphin” features a stellar opening that feels like you’re being sucked into a black hole. I will gladly report that mid-album number “Zombified” includes an unexpected, jazz-tinged section. And I’ll happily exclaim that closer “Crimson Tsunami” flirts with an honest-to-goodness riff as well as a slower, more moody interlude (featuring a solo, of course). But all of these brief, shining moments are merely minor exceptions that prove the rule. Add in percussive, deathened growls that only serve to further punctuate this dizzying display, and you’re left with an album that, like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, is plenty shiny but has no heart to speak of.

Sometimes an album isn’t bad because the band aren’t talented, but because technical prowess becomes the sole marker for success. If we were to award Neurectomy points for stellar musicianship, the score below would indeed be a lot higher. It’s not that what they’ve produced is unlistenable; far from it. But it’s also painfully forgettable. It’s mad scramble to produce more squealing notes, more solos capped off by more pitch harmonics is impressive, but it’s also excessive. Perhaps I find this slab all the more frustrating because it’s clear Neurectomy are capable of finding humanity amidst the wizardry, they just refused to go that route. And the result? A debut that is overindulgent, overproduced, and exceedingly Overwrought.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: neurectomy.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/neurectomy
Releases Worldwide: November 17th, 2023

#15 #2023 #AmericanMetal #Archspire #Carnosus #Neurectomy #Nov23 #Obscura #Overwrought #Review #Reviews #Rush #SelfReleases #TechnicalDeathMetal

Stuck in the Filter – November/December’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

It is time for the new year, and yet we spend its initial moments reflecting on works of the past. That’s because the works of the past are clogging up our damn Filter, and we need that to breathe in this hellhole we call a headquarters. We toil in the snow and the slush, freezing as the gunk clings to our definitely OSHA compliant protective suits and face masks. All so that you can maybe like but more likely dunk on the nuggets of treasure we find here.

Regardless of whether you enjoy what we find, we expect payment for our services. You can submit tithes via Venmo, Paypal, Bitcoin, hobo wine, unicorns, and/or goat sacrifices. Anything less will result in summary dismissal from the Hall!

Kenstrosity’s Heaving Husks

Void // Jadjow [December 8th, 2023 – Brucia Records]

Weird shit is my shit. Challenging albums that dare to subvert my expectations of the music held therein will always garner my respect. Enter UK avant-garde black metal outfit Void and their fourth LP Jadjow. A bizarrely short window spanned between this release and their previous record—only two years compared to eight years between albums one and two, ten between albums two and three. Despite the tight turnaround, the quality of the writing here is nothing to dismiss offhand. Opening duo “Fables From a Post-Truth Era” and “Interdaementional” showcase twisted songwriting dynamics, haunting vocals, squealing black metal riffs, woody blasts, and funky transitions. Consequently, they remind me of Ved Buens Ende, DHG, and Khôra. Yet, Void prove that the art of the riff is not lost in a sea of weirdness, throwing in headbangable themes and windmill-worthy whirlwinds left and right (“Only For You,” “Self Isolation,” “Swamp Dog”). Striking this balance between engaging hooks (“Fables From a Post-Truth Era,” “Swamp Dog”), danceable grooves (“Oduduwa’s Chain”), and intelligent songwriting dynamics (“When Lucifer Dies,” “Iniquitous Owl”) is tricky business, and yet Void take on the task with effortless grace and poise. In turn, fifty-six minutes of oddball progressive black metal fly by in a flash. You blink, you miss it. Don’t blink!

Irityll // Schlafes Bruder [November 23rd, 2023 – Self Release]

Do you ever wonder what melodic black metal would sound like if it had the same HM-2 tone as the filthiest Swedeath around? I sure never have. Yet, Vienna, Austria’s Irityll chose that exact combination to craft their debut LP, Schlafes Bruder. Comprising of two musicians with notable experience in the deathcore and brutal death metal worlds (Spire of Lazarus, Monument of Misanthropy), Irityll unexpectedly nail the icy black metal sound which defines Schlafes Bruder, but enhanced by the novel twist of an HM-2 buzzsaw tone. Ominous melodies and vicious blasting abound, as choice cuts like “Leichnam aus Überzeugung,” “Deppade Leit,” and “Sternengeiβel” all demonstrate with aplomb. Written in the same epic style of bands like Immortal or Dark Funeral, Schlafes Bruder succeeds primarily thanks to a tasty combination of minimalist drama and riff-focused intensity. The way it ebbs and flows between soft passages and ripping black metal, blistering speed and militant marches, all feels natural, effortless, and leads to satisfying payoffs across the forty-four-minute runtime (“Schlafes Bruder,” “Reiter des Sturmes,” “Epitaphion”). And yet, it feels like just the beginning for Irityll. With more refinement and tightening of the screws, the duo could take even greater advantage of their novel sound profile with more distinct, individualized songwriting. I’m excited by that prospect, and you should be too.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Unparalleled Uncoverings

Closet Witch // Chiaroscuro [November 3rd, 2023 – Zegema Beach Records]

If you’re familiar with Closet Witch already, or the closely related in sound and style Cloud Rat, then you’ll know that the brand of caustically-styled, emotionally-chiseled grind that they represent wastes no moment. Equally weighted by the slowing churns of powerviolence and piercing tones of screamo, Chiaroscuro, a name taken from the classical art technique of shadow-use/darkness contrast that creates wholeness, depth, and tone in a piece, uses each of its identities to drill eighteen minutes of caustic music to your memory. Unfortunately for newcomers or passerbys to the sonic assault that Closet Witch embodies, either the fuzz-rattled and blackened riffage, the clanging and splashing kit abuse, or the shrill and shrieking throat sacrifice build like a wall of bleeding noise. But in practice, Chiaroscuro contains an uncanny ebb and flow, finding footing in rhythmic refocusing (“My Words Are Sacred,” “Well-Fed Machine”), noise-assisted tip-offs (“You, Me, and the Venus in Decay,” “To the Cauldron”), and pedal-down thrusts (“Haunting,” “Arlington Cemetary”) to dog ear its shifts and landmarks. In this case, a horror-synth “Intro” and de-escalating, crinkled found-sound “Outro” are necessary to respectively set the stage and close the curtains. You don’t want to go into this cold, but Chiaroscuro burns so hot that you need a cooldown.

Exulansis // Overtures of Uprising [November 17th, 2023 – Bindrune Recordings]

You ever sit there and wonder when you’re finally gonna find a melodic black metal album that’s actually cool? No? How about one that at least incorporates vibrant violin melodies, guitar identities outside of tremolo progressions, and actual growling bass presence? Well, if so, look no further than Exulansis, a folk-inspired four-piece who finds just as much home in the creeping doom of the string work that you’d hear in an old SubRosa jam as they do in the forested black metal of Wolves in the Throne Room. But in this case, Overtures of Uprising’s four tracks will require only thirty-two minutes (it’s not enough!!) of your hard-to-earn time, a healthy balance of two standard-length numbers against two longer explorations. Whereas their previous album, 2019’s Sequestered Symphony attempted to meld a lot more gothic folk into their sound, Exulansis went and trimmed that into a whole separate album (Hymns of Collapse) this go, which has left absolutely nothing to stand in the way of the bell-hammering drive of “Of Nature & Hatred” or the eerie and screeching “A Movement in Silence”.1 And when they do slow it down for the fanciful, classical violin melodies that signal the triumphant title track or the lurching doom of “Dawning,” Exulansis finds a way to capture the beat of an anxious heart. Unified by a melodic dread, Overtures of Uprising pushes this act closer to record that’ll grab me by the hand and never let go. Fortunately, I know these strong voices have more to say.

Saunders’ Slippery Subjects

Deathcode Society // Unlightenment [November 24th, 2023 – Osmose Productions]

My end-of-year filter was badly clogged amidst the rush to finalize Listurnalia and absorb the mammoth number of releases that either flooded through late or had been backlogged. Nevertheless, in the end-of-year wash-up, I stumbled across the sophomore platter from French symphonic black metal act Deathcode Society, and their powerful, bombastic LP, Unlightenment. Traditionally, I am incredibly picky with my modern black metal, and much of the overly symphonic variety tends to fall flat or overdo the cheese. Comprised of seasoned players, Deathcode Society balances the elements deftly to craft an intriguing platter, with modern sheen and orchestral flair roughened up by second-wave influences and whiffs of later-era Emperor. The sympho-black formula can sometimes veer too drastically into melodramatic territory, adding too much fluff to soften the black metal bite. Thankfully, Deathcode Society generally nail things just right. Within the style, Deathcode Society exhibit a versatile and confident approach, as their epic, carefully layered sound ebbs and flows through diverse pastures. A technical edge permeates material that blisters and tears with speed and aggression, contrasting these pleasingly vicious assaults with mostly tasteful symphonic layers, a varied vocal palette, and long, twisty arrangements. Highlights include the potent, blasty one-two opening punch of “Scolopendra” and “Shards” dominate with sheer scope, ferocity and memorability, while the stellar “Mazed Interior” and “Scales” offer in-your-face aggression and more ambitious, head-spinning turns with maximum impact.

#2023 #AvantGarde #AvantGardeBlackMetal #BindruneRecordings #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BruciaRecords #Chiaroscuro #ClosetWitch #CloudRat #DarkFuneral #DeathMetal #DeathcodeSociety #Dec23 #DHG #Emperor #Exulansis #Grind #Immortal #Irityll #Jadjow #Khôra #MelodicBlackMetal #MonumentOfMisanthropy #Nov23 #OrchestralBlackMetal #OsmoseProductions #OverturesOfUprising #ProgressiveBlackMetal #SchlafesBruder #SelfRelease #SpireOfLazarus #StuckInTheFilter #Subrosa #SymphonicBlackMetal #SymphonicMetal #Unlightenment #VedBuensEnde #Vøid #WolvesInTheThroneRoom #ZegemaBeachRecords

Stuck in the Filter – November/December’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

It is time for the new year, and yet we spend its initial moments reflecting on works of the past. That’s because the works of the past are clogging up our damn Filter, and we need that to breathe in this hellhole we call a headquarters. We toil in the snow and the slush, freezing as the gunk clings to our definitely OSHA compliant protective suits and face masks. All so that you can maybe like but more likely dunk on the nuggets of treasure we find here.

Regardless of whether you enjoy what we find, we expect payment for our services. You can submit tithes via Venmo, Paypal, Bitcoin, hobo wine, unicorns, and/or goat sacrifices. Anything less will result in summary dismissal from the Hall!

Kenstrosity’s Heaving Husks

Void // Jadjow [December 8th, 2023 – Brucia Records]

Weird shit is my shit. Challenging albums that dare to subvert my expectations of the music held therein will always garner my respect. Enter UK avant-garde black metal outfit Void and their fourth LP Jadjow. A bizarrely short window spanned between this release and their previous record—only two years compared to eight years between albums one and two, ten between albums two and three. Despite the tight turnaround, the quality of the writing here is nothing to dismiss offhand. Opening duo “Fables From a Post-Truth Era” and “Interdaementional” showcase twisted songwriting dynamics, haunting vocals, squealing black metal riffs, woody blasts, and funky transitions. Consequently, they remind me of Ved Buens Ende, DHG, and Khôra. Yet, Void prove that the art of the riff is not lost in a sea of weirdness, throwing in headbangable themes and windmill-worthy whirlwinds left and right (“Only For You,” “Self Isolation,” “Swamp Dog”). Striking this balance between engaging hooks (“Fables From a Post-Truth Era,” “Swamp Dog”), danceable grooves (“Oduduwa’s Chain”), and intelligent songwriting dynamics (“When Lucifer Dies,” “Iniquitous Owl”) is tricky business, and yet Void take on the task with effortless grace and poise. In turn, fifty-six minutes of oddball progressive black metal fly by in a flash. You blink, you miss it. Don’t blink!

Irityll // Schlafes Bruder [November 23rd, 2023 – Self Release]

Do you ever wonder what melodic black metal would sound like if it had the same HM-2 tone as the filthiest Swedeath around? I sure never have. Yet, Vienna, Austria’s Irityll chose that exact combination to craft their debut LP, Schlafes Bruder. Comprising of two musicians with notable experience in the deathcore and brutal death metal worlds (Spire of Lazarus, Monument of Misanthropy), Irityll unexpectedly nail the icy black metal sound which defines Schlafes Bruder, but enhanced by the novel twist of an HM-2 buzzsaw tone. Ominous melodies and vicious blasting abound, as choice cuts like “Leichnam aus Überzeugung,” “Deppade Leit,” and “Sternengeiβel” all demonstrate with aplomb. Written in the same epic style of bands like Immortal or Dark Funeral, Schlafes Bruder succeeds primarily thanks to a tasty combination of minimalist drama and riff-focused intensity. The way it ebbs and flows between soft passages and ripping black metal, blistering speed and militant marches, all feels natural, effortless, and leads to satisfying payoffs across the forty-four-minute runtime (“Schlafes Bruder,” “Reiter des Sturmes,” “Epitaphion”). And yet, it feels like just the beginning for Irityll. With more refinement and tightening of the screws, the duo could take even greater advantage of their novel sound profile with more distinct, individualized songwriting. I’m excited by that prospect, and you should be too.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Unparalleled Uncoverings

Closet Witch // Chiaroscuro [November 3rd, 2023 – Zegema Beach Records]

If you’re familiar with Closet Witch already, or the closely related in sound and style Cloud Rat, then you’ll know that the brand of caustically-styled, emotionally-chiseled grind that they represent wastes no moment. Equally weighted by the slowing churns of powerviolence and piercing tones of screamo, Chiaroscuro, a name taken from the classical art technique of shadow-use/darkness contrast that creates wholeness, depth, and tone in a piece, uses each of its identities to drill eighteen minutes of caustic music to your memory. Unfortunately for newcomers or passerbys to the sonic assault that Closet Witch embodies, either the fuzz-rattled and blackened riffage, the clanging and splashing kit abuse, or the shrill and shrieking throat sacrifice build like a wall of bleeding noise. But in practice, Chiaroscuro contains an uncanny ebb and flow, finding footing in rhythmic refocusing (“My Words Are Sacred,” “Well-Fed Machine”), noise-assisted tip-offs (“You, Me, and the Venus in Decay,” “To the Cauldron”), and pedal-down thrusts (“Haunting,” “Arlington Cemetary”) to dog ear its shifts and landmarks. In this case, a horror-synth “Intro” and de-escalating, crinkled found-sound “Outro” are necessary to respectively set the stage and close the curtains. You don’t want to go into this cold, but Chiaroscuro burns so hot that you need a cooldown.

Exulansis // Overtures of Uprising [November 17th, 2023 – Bindrune Recordings]

You ever sit there and wonder when you’re finally gonna find a melodic black metal album that’s actually cool? No? How about one that at least incorporates vibrant violin melodies, guitar identities outside of tremolo progressions, and actual growling bass presence? Well, if so, look no further than Exulansis, a folk-inspired four-piece who finds just as much home in the creeping doom of the string work that you’d hear in an old SubRosa jam as they do in the forested black metal of Wolves in the Throne Room. But in this case, Overtures of Uprising’s four tracks will require only thirty-two minutes (it’s not enough!!) of your hard-to-earn time, a healthy balance of two standard-length numbers against two longer explorations. Whereas their previous album, 2019’s Sequestered Symphony attempted to meld a lot more gothic folk into their sound, Exulansis went and trimmed that into a whole separate album (Hymns of Collapse) this go, which has left absolutely nothing to stand in the way of the bell-hammering drive of “Of Nature & Hatred” or the eerie and screeching “A Movement in Silence”.1 And when they do slow it down for the fanciful, classical violin melodies that signal the triumphant title track or the lurching doom of “Dawning,” Exulansis finds a way to capture the beat of an anxious heart. Unified by a melodic dread, Overtures of Uprising pushes this act closer to record that’ll grab me by the hand and never let go. Fortunately, I know these strong voices have more to say.

Saunders’ Slippery Subjects

Deathcode Society // Unlightenment [November 24th, 2023 – Osmose Productions]

My end-of-year filter was badly clogged amidst the rush to finalize Listurnalia and absorb the mammoth number of releases that either flooded through late or had been backlogged. Nevertheless, in the end-of-year wash-up, I stumbled across the sophomore platter from French symphonic black metal act Deathcode Society, and their powerful, bombastic LP, Unlightenment. Traditionally, I am incredibly picky with my modern black metal, and much of the overly symphonic variety tends to fall flat or overdo the cheese. Comprised of seasoned players, Deathcode Society balances the elements deftly to craft an intriguing platter, with modern sheen and orchestral flair roughened up by second-wave influences and whiffs of later-era Emperor. The sympho-black formula can sometimes veer too drastically into melodramatic territory, adding too much fluff to soften the black metal bite. Thankfully, Deathcode Society generally nail things just right. Within the style, Deathcode Society exhibit a versatile and confident approach, as their epic, carefully layered sound ebbs and flows through diverse pastures. A technical edge permeates material that blisters and tears with speed and aggression, contrasting these pleasingly vicious assaults with mostly tasteful symphonic layers, a varied vocal palette, and long, twisty arrangements. Highlights include the potent, blasty one-two opening punch of “Scolopendra” and “Shards” dominate with sheer scope, ferocity and memorability, while the stellar “Mazed Interior” and “Scales” offer in-your-face aggression and more ambitious, head-spinning turns with maximum impact.

#2023 #AvantGarde #AvantGardeBlackMetal #BindruneRecordings #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BruciaRecords #Chiaroscuro #ClosetWitch #CloudRat #DarkFuneral #DeathMetal #DeathcodeSociety #Dec23 #DHG #Emperor #Exulansis #Grind #Immortal #Irityll #Jadjow #Khôra #MelodicBlackMetal #MonumentOfMisanthropy #Nov23 #OrchestralBlackMetal #OsmoseProductions #OverturesOfUprising #ProgressiveBlackMetal #SchlafesBruder #SelfRelease #SpireOfLazarus #StuckInTheFilter #Subrosa #SymphonicBlackMetal #SymphonicMetal #Unlightenment #VedBuensEnde #Vøid #WolvesInTheThroneRoom #ZegemaBeachRecords

Tariot – Drag Me to Hell Review

By Dear Hollow

As such, I’m writing this review hunched over the keyboard like a monk in deep meditation to prove to the higher-ups that I’m working on some doom record or blackened prog album. As you may have guessed, Singapore five-piece Tariot is metalcore, featuring frantic fry vocals, noodly guitar fills, and breakdowns. Shit, hi Holdeneye, just working on that latest dissodeath review haha. No, no delays, and no -core influence. Of course all my reviews are always on time! Anyway, Drag Me to Hell is tough-guy metalcore through and through with some touches of post-hardcore, electronic, and nu-metal – like if August Burns Red, Cane Hill, and Our Last Night had a child. Look, I don’t like it any more than you do, would you quit that dry heaving? Go to the bathroom if you need to. Drag Me to Hell is an album with its moments but thanks to its confused structure, weak pieces, and excessive length, I’m comfortable keeping Tariot on the down-low.

Hey Maddog! No, I’m not trying to find the good in metalcore – ’tis foolhardy! Oh hi Doom_et_Al, found a new melodic black metal album to give 4.0? Nice. Anyway, Tariot actually features a few moments of excitement across its forty-two-minute runtime, even if the best feels like a knockoff Crystal Lake. While graced with wild guitar licks throughout, the best tracks balance the typical nimble riffs with densely crushing punishment. “Obsidian,” “Hell Hole,” and the previously released single “The Devil Inside Me” bring bottom-scraping heavy breakdowns to the song climaxes, which balance neatly with the fretboard wizardry and more urgent and aggressive tempos. Former Novelists vocalist Tobias Rische brings a much-needed grounding to “Alas,” while the vocals of Fairuz Ramlan add heat alongside one of the best riffs of the album in “Grave Future.” Used sparingly, nu-metal adds a tasteful intensity that nearly flies off the rails in tracks like “Alas” and “Hell Hole,” recalling acts like recent MouthBreather and early Darke Complex. The second half is the clear winner, with more infectious energy coursing through it. Oh hey Thus Spoke, haha, yeah metalcore sucks haha.2

The problem with Tariot’s Drag Me to Hell is twofold: there are weak songs present and those that are solid sound too much like previously established metalcore fare. Most damningly, the cleans that pervade always waver on the edge of out-of-tune, most painfully present in the aptly titled “Rain On My Parade,” “Eternal War,” and “Life of Nothing” which derail any energy with either post-hardcore- or grunge-influenced mediocrity that teeters into bad territory often. While not entirely detrimental, it leaves a bitter taste in solid tracks like “The Devil Inside Me” or “Lament,” which come unnervingly close to ruin. The nu-metal effect gets too much, especially in tracks like “Metamorph,” whose awkward gang vocals and mismatched climaxes worsen it, and “Hell Hole,” whose rap-influenced closing portions do not fit. Even some less problematic tracks like intro “Death by Seven” and “Eve” pale in comparison to their surrounding highlights (or nadirs) by sheer lack of memorability. However, even Tariot’s best still conjures the spirit of Crystal Lake’s “Prometheus” but missing the necessary charisma.

Ultimately, while the second half of Drag Me to Hell amps the intensity after a painful first half derailed by haphazard cleans and awkward nu-metal influence, but it feels largely like Tariot’s touchdowns in garbage time throughout a deceptively long forty-two-minute runtime; by the time “The Devil Inside Me” hits, the attention span would understandably be run thin. Tariot’s highlights are already mimicry at best with speedy riffs, thuggish breakdowns, and barked vocals, but given a horrendously inconsistent tracklist, it is difficult to recommend Drag Me to Hell for even most metalcore fans. So I guess maybe the sticky noted car was deserved.3

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 160 kbps mp3
Label: Out of Line Music
Websites: tariot.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/tariotsg
Releases Worldwide: November 24th, 2023

#15 #2023 #AugustBurnsRed #CaneHill #CrystalLake #DarkeComplex #DragMeToHell #Electronic #MemphisMayFire #Metalcore #Mouthbreather #Nov23 #Novelists #NuMetal #OurLastNight #OutOfLineMusic #PostHardcore #Review #Reviews #SingaporeanMetal #Tariot

Tariot – Drag Me to Hell Review

By Dear Hollow

As such, I’m writing this review hunched over the keyboard like a monk in deep meditation to prove to the higher-ups that I’m working on some doom record or blackened prog album. As you may have guessed, Singapore five-piece Tariot is metalcore, featuring frantic fry vocals, noodly guitar fills, and breakdowns. Shit, hi Holdeneye, just working on that latest dissodeath review haha. No, no delays, and no -core influence. Of course all my reviews are always on time! Anyway, Drag Me to Hell is tough-guy metalcore through and through with some touches of post-hardcore, electronic, and nu-metal – like if August Burns Red, Cane Hill, and Our Last Night had a child. Look, I don’t like it any more than you do, would you quit that dry heaving? Go to the bathroom if you need to. Drag Me to Hell is an album with its moments but thanks to its confused structure, weak pieces, and excessive length, I’m comfortable keeping Tariot on the down-low.

Hey Maddog! No, I’m not trying to find the good in metalcore – ’tis foolhardy! Oh hi Doom_et_Al, found a new melodic black metal album to give 4.0? Nice. Anyway, Tariot actually features a few moments of excitement across its forty-two-minute runtime, even if the best feels like a knockoff Crystal Lake. While graced with wild guitar licks throughout, the best tracks balance the typical nimble riffs with densely crushing punishment. “Obsidian,” “Hell Hole,” and the previously released single “The Devil Inside Me” bring bottom-scraping heavy breakdowns to the song climaxes, which balance neatly with the fretboard wizardry and more urgent and aggressive tempos. Former Novelists vocalist Tobias Rische brings a much-needed grounding to “Alas,” while the vocals of Fairuz Ramlan add heat alongside one of the best riffs of the album in “Grave Future.” Used sparingly, nu-metal adds a tasteful intensity that nearly flies off the rails in tracks like “Alas” and “Hell Hole,” recalling acts like recent MouthBreather and early Darke Complex. The second half is the clear winner, with more infectious energy coursing through it. Oh hey Thus Spoke, haha, yeah metalcore sucks haha.2

The problem with Tariot’s Drag Me to Hell is twofold: there are weak songs present and those that are solid sound too much like previously established metalcore fare. Most damningly, the cleans that pervade always waver on the edge of out-of-tune, most painfully present in the aptly titled “Rain On My Parade,” “Eternal War,” and “Life of Nothing” which derail any energy with either post-hardcore- or grunge-influenced mediocrity that teeters into bad territory often. While not entirely detrimental, it leaves a bitter taste in solid tracks like “The Devil Inside Me” or “Lament,” which come unnervingly close to ruin. The nu-metal effect gets too much, especially in tracks like “Metamorph,” whose awkward gang vocals and mismatched climaxes worsen it, and “Hell Hole,” whose rap-influenced closing portions do not fit. Even some less problematic tracks like intro “Death by Seven” and “Eve” pale in comparison to their surrounding highlights (or nadirs) by sheer lack of memorability. However, even Tariot’s best still conjures the spirit of Crystal Lake’s “Prometheus” but missing the necessary charisma.

Ultimately, while the second half of Drag Me to Hell amps the intensity after a painful first half derailed by haphazard cleans and awkward nu-metal influence, but it feels largely like Tariot’s touchdowns in garbage time throughout a deceptively long forty-two-minute runtime; by the time “The Devil Inside Me” hits, the attention span would understandably be run thin. Tariot’s highlights are already mimicry at best with speedy riffs, thuggish breakdowns, and barked vocals, but given a horrendously inconsistent tracklist, it is difficult to recommend Drag Me to Hell for even most metalcore fans. So I guess maybe the sticky noted car was deserved.3

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 160 kbps mp3
Label: Out of Line Music
Websites: tariot.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/tariotsg
Releases Worldwide: November 24th, 2023

#15 #2023 #AugustBurnsRed #CaneHill #CrystalLake #DarkeComplex #DragMeToHell #Electronic #MemphisMayFire #Metalcore #Mouthbreather #Nov23 #Novelists #NuMetal #OurLastNight #OutOfLineMusic #PostHardcore #Review #Reviews #SingaporeanMetal #Tariot

Coven Japan – Earthlings Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

The past still lives around us—a phone booth dilapidated with its tethered telecommunications device extracted, an eerie, abandoned Sears parking lot, Def Leppard jammin’ for the 6:00 pm crowd at the grocery store. Even for new members of the heavy metal clan, the sounds of royalty—Maiden, Priest, Saxon—often line the path to whatever extreme they may later fall into. It’s no surprise, then, to read that new Japanese export Coven Japan declares themselves as a young band influenced by 70s bands like Angel Witch and 80s bands like Satan.1 It’s a dangerous proposition. When you wield such well-known and mighty names in your promo blurb, you better be ready to deliver the goods. Does Earthlings earn its place amongst the Gods?

To no one’s surprise, Coven Japan does not surpass the works of time-tested, riff-imitated classics. That doesn’t mean that Coven Japan can’t be fun, though, and that element of their 70s rock, 80s heavy metal stained sound shines through on Earthling’s most driving cuts (“Land of the Rising Sun,” “Apocalypse,” “Lost Humanity”). And among these tracks, which can remind me a little too much of hall of fame metalworks in riff identity for comfort (“Land of…” – “Aces High,”2 “Lost Humanity” – “Heading out to the Highway”), there lies the speed-driven, punky ambition of early Loudness and Anthem albums to keep Earthlings from being pure NWoBHM pastiche. In the same vein as their countrymen, Earthlings too possesses a warm, decently spacious production with crispy edges—not as clear and biting as the European bands that pioneered the sound. But that’s OK, this kind of louder, rawer construction channels the same windows down, knob-cranked attitude as you would expect from proper heavy metal.

Of course, as is the curse of many Japanese bands playing with this throwback temporal mindset—Significant Point and Risingfall come to mind—the vocals often can pose a hurdle. And, in a form true to this troubled expression, these issues come about most when the band dials back speed for ballad territory, the intro to “Night Flyer” posing the most challenging earuption of the run. The sing-song harmony has a quality to it that is fitting though, same with the quasi-ballad title track that follows. But really vocalist Taka’s wails shine best against an urgent bassline, jangling chords, and searing lead melodies (“What Goes Around Comes Around, “Apocalypse”). 2023 doesn’t need any more ballads.

What it does need more of are the rollicking, guitar-fueled excursions that Coven Japan brings to bookend the lesser clips throughout Earthlings. Good albums start with a bang, and the one-two burst of “Land of the Rising Sun” and “What Goes…” pack that same old school punch that you would find on scrappy classics like Iron Maiden3 or Fly to the Rainbow4 (Scorpions), right down to the leads that swell from thin amp pull to distortion flurry for maximum impact. The popping snare can get in the way from time to time, being one of the sounds borrowed from 80s and not in a great way. But when it comes to numbers that feel more of that time, the Satan-leaning “Apocalypse” or the stadium-ready “Return of the Souls,” it works well against loud riffcraft and bouncing, bluesy grooves. That overdriven heft helps the to-the-point closer “Lost Humanity” flourish in its reverb-soaked chorus chants and snappy twin-lead breakaway.

Coven Japan makes their fair share of missteps throughout this debut full-length outing—the repetitive epic “To Sanctuary – March for the Voiceless,” the over-balladization of a couple of choice tracks—but they do so with feet planted and volume set to rock. For an album that borrows so much from the elders of the halls of metal, Earthlings lands with scrapes and bruises of character from each stumble and success. To put it plainly, Coven Japan has heart and it pours through in every note, which goes a long way in pushing through some of the less-than-stellar moments. And did I mention how absolutely fantastic the cover is? If I remember nothing else of this later, I will remember lady demon with laser eyes. Likewise, if Coven Japan remembers tomorrow is a new day to shine, and that this outing is but a point of entry into future fan’s ears, then they’ll realize there’s no turning back on this path of heavy metal.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7| Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: No Remorse Records
Websites: coven.site | coven.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/coven.japan
Releases Worldwide: November 24th, 2023

#2023 #30 #AngelWitch #Anthem #CovenJapan #Earthlings #HeavyMetal #IronMaiden #JapaneseMetal #JudasPriest #Loudness #NoRemorseRecords #Nov23 #Review #Reviews #Risingfall #Satan #Saxon #Scorpions #SignificantPoint

Coven Japan – Earthlings Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

The past still lives around us—a phone booth dilapidated with its tethered telecommunications device extracted, an eerie, abandoned Sears parking lot, Def Leppard jammin’ for the 6:00 pm crowd at the grocery store. Even for new members of the heavy metal clan, the sounds of royalty—Maiden, Priest, Saxon—often line the path to whatever extreme they may later fall into. It’s no surprise, then, to read that new Japanese export Coven Japan declares themselves as a young band influenced by 70s bands like Angel Witch and 80s bands like Satan.1 It’s a dangerous proposition. When you wield such well-known and mighty names in your promo blurb, you better be ready to deliver the goods. Does Earthlings earn its place amongst the Gods?

To no one’s surprise, Coven Japan does not surpass the works of time-tested, riff-imitated classics. That doesn’t mean that Coven Japan can’t be fun, though, and that element of their 70s rock, 80s heavy metal stained sound shines through on Earthling’s most driving cuts (“Land of the Rising Sun,” “Apocalypse,” “Lost Humanity”). And among these tracks, which can remind me a little too much of hall of fame metalworks in riff identity for comfort (“Land of…” – “Aces High,”2 “Lost Humanity” – “Heading out to the Highway”), there lies the speed-driven, punky ambition of early Loudness and Anthem albums to keep Earthlings from being pure NWoBHM pastiche. In the same vein as their countrymen, Earthlings too possesses a warm, decently spacious production with crispy edges—not as clear and biting as the European bands that pioneered the sound. But that’s OK, this kind of louder, rawer construction channels the same windows down, knob-cranked attitude as you would expect from proper heavy metal.

Of course, as is the curse of many Japanese bands playing with this throwback temporal mindset—Significant Point and Risingfall come to mind—the vocals often can pose a hurdle. And, in a form true to this troubled expression, these issues come about most when the band dials back speed for ballad territory, the intro to “Night Flyer” posing the most challenging earuption of the run. The sing-song harmony has a quality to it that is fitting though, same with the quasi-ballad title track that follows. But really vocalist Taka’s wails shine best against an urgent bassline, jangling chords, and searing lead melodies (“What Goes Around Comes Around, “Apocalypse”). 2023 doesn’t need any more ballads.

What it does need more of are the rollicking, guitar-fueled excursions that Coven Japan brings to bookend the lesser clips throughout Earthlings. Good albums start with a bang, and the one-two burst of “Land of the Rising Sun” and “What Goes…” pack that same old school punch that you would find on scrappy classics like Iron Maiden3 or Fly to the Rainbow4 (Scorpions), right down to the leads that swell from thin amp pull to distortion flurry for maximum impact. The popping snare can get in the way from time to time, being one of the sounds borrowed from 80s and not in a great way. But when it comes to numbers that feel more of that time, the Satan-leaning “Apocalypse” or the stadium-ready “Return of the Souls,” it works well against loud riffcraft and bouncing, bluesy grooves. That overdriven heft helps the to-the-point closer “Lost Humanity” flourish in its reverb-soaked chorus chants and snappy twin-lead breakaway.

Coven Japan makes their fair share of missteps throughout this debut full-length outing—the repetitive epic “To Sanctuary – March for the Voiceless,” the over-balladization of a couple of choice tracks—but they do so with feet planted and volume set to rock. For an album that borrows so much from the elders of the halls of metal, Earthlings lands with scrapes and bruises of character from each stumble and success. To put it plainly, Coven Japan has heart and it pours through in every note, which goes a long way in pushing through some of the less-than-stellar moments. And did I mention how absolutely fantastic the cover is? If I remember nothing else of this later, I will remember lady demon with laser eyes. Likewise, if Coven Japan remembers tomorrow is a new day to shine, and that this outing is but a point of entry into future fan’s ears, then they’ll realize there’s no turning back on this path of heavy metal.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7| Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: No Remorse Records
Websites: coven.site | coven.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/coven.japan
Releases Worldwide: November 24th, 2023

#2023 #30 #AngelWitch #Anthem #CovenJapan #Earthlings #HeavyMetal #IronMaiden #JapaneseMetal #JudasPriest #Loudness #NoRemorseRecords #Nov23 #Review #Reviews #Risingfall #Satan #Saxon #Scorpions #SignificantPoint

Convocation – No Dawn for the Caliginous Night Review

By Cherd

In the wretched realms of death metal, Finland’s Lauri Laaksonen is a known commodity. After a five-year stint in Sear, LL, as he’s credited on most liner notes, founded the beastly Desolate Shrine in 2010. We here at AMG have for the most part fawned in a most undignified manner over that project’s output. On the strength of that discography alone, LL could hold his head high among his most celebrated death metal contemporaries. But his impact on the genre doesn’t end there. Since 2018, LL has released some of the very finest slabs of demoralizing deathly doom in recent memory through his band Convocation. Between debut Scars Across and follow-up Ashes Coalesce, Convocation gave us eight massive cuts of ponderous death doom that often strays into dilatory funeral doom of a stately mien. We now come to the third album of LL’s secondary project, No Dawn for the Caliginous Night, and the approach is largely the same with one noticeable augmentation. When measuring out his ingredients for this particular recipe, our boy got to “towering majesty,” mistook for gallons what should have been ounces and added several orders of magnitude more than was called for.

On Convocation’s debut, there was a definite Evoken vibe to songs like “Ruins of Ourselves” and “Allied POWs,” but Ashes Coalesce saw them moving toward a sound more their own, built on subtle mood shifts and a multi-layered vocal attack courtesy of Waste of Space Orchestra’s Marko Neuman. Neuman is in similar form on No Dawn for the Caliginous Night—more on that in a bit—but “subtle” is no longer a word that applies to the music. In fact, hold up that word to No Dawn… and it will melt into a streak of fire like a space rock burning up upon its descent into Earth’s atmosphere. By the time you reach the halfway point in opening track “Graveless yet Dead,” you’ve heard swirling organs, ominous violins, harmonized choirs, riffs that measure their gravity on the scale of celestial bodies, and Neuman’s enormous death roar. The whole thing keeps escalating like a light growing in intensity until, nearly blinding, a biblically accurate angel emerges with its six wings and concentric wheels full of eyes and multiple heads and burnished bronze appendages and it bellows in an inhuman voice, “B̴̧̈E̴͝ͅ ̸̫̈Ń̷̦Ò̸̭T̸̜̈́ ̸̟̄A̷͈͌F̵̯̊R̴̳̽Ā̷͇I̸̜͊D̶͈͛.”

No Dawn… maintains this monumental scale for its full 48-minute runtime, but smart songwriting and a symmetrical album structure keep all that grandeur from feeling one-note. With the instrumental track “Between Aether and Land” acting as a sort of intermission, the two tracks before it present at once sublime and terrifying death doom that never dips below white-knuckle intensity. While Convocation may interject passages of clean guitar lines and overt gentleness, like the one found halfway through “Atychiphobia,” but these are will-o’-the-wisps, false lights in the darkness they use to lure you into compliance before unleashing their nastiest riffs and most harrowing tectonic shifts. After the pivotal instrumental, the last two tracks are much more funereal. “Lepers and Derelicts” is the standout, if one must be chosen, with its lugubrious aura and methodically measured guitar line motif, like a bell tolling over a cemetery.

As with 2020’s Ashes Coalesce, Neuman’s impressively variegated vocal performance lifts the already stellar material on No Dawn… to a level beyond that of the band’s death doom peers. Blessed with an ideal death roar, he really knows when to let it fly, like when he expends every ounce of vein-popping energy as a counterpoint to the album’s most traditionally mournful instrumentation on closer “Procession.” Meanwhile, his judiciously applied cleans crash through the opiate haze of “Lepers and Derelicts” to carry the song to giddy heights in its final minutes. Rock solid as his performance is throughout, the most unforgettable moment is when he discharges a blood-freezing banshee wail in “Atychiphobia,” a trick he repeats to bring “Lepers and Derelicts” freefalling back to earth in its final seconds. Early in my listening, I considered the instrumental track a drawback. Now I see it as a theatrical intermission; a necessary respite from the otherwise unrelenting intensity Neuman brings to LL’s project.

I loved both of Convocation’s previous records. With No Dawn for the Caliginous Night, LL and Neuman have completed their transformation from practitioners of impressive, if well-trod death doom to a unique voice in the ranks funerophiles. This is a towering celebration of death’s enormity, packaged in the heaviest and most shimmering of vessels.

Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Websites: everlastingspewrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ConvocationDoom
Releases Worldwide: November 24th, 2023

#2023 #45 #Convocation #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DesolateShrine #DoomMetal #EverlastingSpewRecords #Evoken #FinnishMetal #FuneralDoom #NoDawnForTheCaliginousNight #Nov23 #Review #Reviews #Sear #WasteOfSpaceOrchestra

Convocation – No Dawn for the Caliginous Night Review

By Cherd

In the wretched realms of death metal, Finland’s Lauri Laaksonen is a known commodity. After a five-year stint in Sear, LL, as he’s credited on most liner notes, founded the beastly Desolate Shrine in 2010. We here at AMG have for the most part fawned in a most undignified manner over that project’s output. On the strength of that discography alone, LL could hold his head high among his most celebrated death metal contemporaries. But his impact on the genre doesn’t end there. Since 2018, LL has released some of the very finest slabs of demoralizing deathly doom in recent memory through his band Convocation. Between debut Scars Across and follow-up Ashes Coalesce, Convocation gave us eight massive cuts of ponderous death doom that often strays into dilatory funeral doom of a stately mien. We now come to the third album of LL’s secondary project, No Dawn for the Caliginous Night, and the approach is largely the same with one noticeable augmentation. When measuring out his ingredients for this particular recipe, our boy got to “towering majesty,” mistook for gallons what should have been ounces and added several orders of magnitude more than was called for.

On Convocation’s debut, there was a definite Evoken vibe to songs like “Ruins of Ourselves” and “Allied POWs,” but Ashes Coalesce saw them moving toward a sound more their own, built on subtle mood shifts and a multi-layered vocal attack courtesy of Waste of Space Orchestra’s Marko Neuman. Neuman is in similar form on No Dawn for the Caliginous Night—more on that in a bit—but “subtle” is no longer a word that applies to the music. In fact, hold up that word to No Dawn… and it will melt into a streak of fire like a space rock burning up upon its descent into Earth’s atmosphere. By the time you reach the halfway point in opening track “Graveless yet Dead,” you’ve heard swirling organs, ominous violins, harmonized choirs, riffs that measure their gravity on the scale of celestial bodies, and Neuman’s enormous death roar. The whole thing keeps escalating like a light growing in intensity until, nearly blinding, a biblically accurate angel emerges with its six wings and concentric wheels full of eyes and multiple heads and burnished bronze appendages and it bellows in an inhuman voice, “B̴̧̈E̴͝ͅ ̸̫̈Ń̷̦Ò̸̭T̸̜̈́ ̸̟̄A̷͈͌F̵̯̊R̴̳̽Ā̷͇I̸̜͊D̶͈͛.”

No Dawn… maintains this monumental scale for its full 48-minute runtime, but smart songwriting and a symmetrical album structure keep all that grandeur from feeling one-note. With the instrumental track “Between Aether and Land” acting as a sort of intermission, the two tracks before it present at once sublime and terrifying death doom that never dips below white-knuckle intensity. While Convocation may interject passages of clean guitar lines and overt gentleness, like the one found halfway through “Atychiphobia,” but these are will-o’-the-wisps, false lights in the darkness they use to lure you into compliance before unleashing their nastiest riffs and most harrowing tectonic shifts. After the pivotal instrumental, the last two tracks are much more funereal. “Lepers and Derelicts” is the standout, if one must be chosen, with its lugubrious aura and methodically measured guitar line motif, like a bell tolling over a cemetery.

As with 2020’s Ashes Coalesce, Neuman’s impressively variegated vocal performance lifts the already stellar material on No Dawn… to a level beyond that of the band’s death doom peers. Blessed with an ideal death roar, he really knows when to let it fly, like when he expends every ounce of vein-popping energy as a counterpoint to the album’s most traditionally mournful instrumentation on closer “Procession.” Meanwhile, his judiciously applied cleans crash through the opiate haze of “Lepers and Derelicts” to carry the song to giddy heights in its final minutes. Rock solid as his performance is throughout, the most unforgettable moment is when he discharges a blood-freezing banshee wail in “Atychiphobia,” a trick he repeats to bring “Lepers and Derelicts” freefalling back to earth in its final seconds. Early in my listening, I considered the instrumental track a drawback. Now I see it as a theatrical intermission; a necessary respite from the otherwise unrelenting intensity Neuman brings to LL’s project.

I loved both of Convocation’s previous records. With No Dawn for the Caliginous Night, LL and Neuman have completed their transformation from practitioners of impressive, if well-trod death doom to a unique voice in the ranks funerophiles. This is a towering celebration of death’s enormity, packaged in the heaviest and most shimmering of vessels.

Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Websites: everlastingspewrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ConvocationDoom
Releases Worldwide: November 24th, 2023

#2023 #45 #Convocation #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DesolateShrine #DoomMetal #EverlastingSpewRecords #Evoken #FinnishMetal #FuneralDoom #NoDawnForTheCaliginousNight #Nov23 #Review #Reviews #Sear #WasteOfSpaceOrchestra