#scalethesummit — Public Fediverse posts

#NowPlaying #karmanjakah

WHAT THE HELL?! 🤯 I never ever heard about this band, found as one of the #newReleases today. One song in and I'm already hooked!!!
It's some #progmetal maybe also #progrock from Sweden. My first impression was: oh it's a bit like #coldnightforalligators has a kid with #scalethesummit and this kid also have a kid with the kid of #Vola and #plini

https://album.link/gcph4s4mprf9k

#NowPlaying #karmanjakah

WHAT THE HELL?! 🤯 I never ever heard about this band, found as one of the #newReleases today. One song in and I'm already hooked!!!
It's some #progmetal maybe also #progrock from Sweden. My first impression was: oh it's a bit like #coldnightforalligators has a kid with #scalethesummit and this kid also have a kid with the kid of #Vola and #plini

https://album.link/gcph4s4mprf9k

#NowPlaying #karmanjakah

WHAT THE HELL?! 🤯 I never ever heard about this band, found as one of the #newReleases today. One song in and I'm already hooked!!!
It's some #progmetal maybe also #progrock from Sweden. My first impression was: oh it's a bit like #coldnightforalligators has a kid with #scalethesummit and this kid also have a kid with the kid of #Vola and #plini

https://album.link/gcph4s4mprf9k

#NowPlaying #karmanjakah

WHAT THE HELL?! 🤯 I never ever heard about this band, found as one of the #newReleases today. One song in and I'm already hooked!!!
It's some #progmetal maybe also #progrock from Sweden. My first impression was: oh it's a bit like #coldnightforalligators has a kid with #scalethesummit and this kid also have a kid with the kid of #Vola and #plini

https://album.link/gcph4s4mprf9k

#NowPlaying #karmanjakah

WHAT THE HELL?! 🤯 I never ever heard about this band, found as one of the #newReleases today. One song in and I'm already hooked!!!
It's some #progmetal maybe also #progrock from Sweden. My first impression was: oh it's a bit like #coldnightforalligators has a kid with #scalethesummit and this kid also have a kid with the kid of #Vola and #plini

https://album.link/gcph4s4mprf9k

Osmium Gate – Cannibal Universe Review

Of all the discouraging and difficult elements contributing to people having appallingly bad taste not being into metal,…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Music #2026 #3.0 #AmericanMetal #AnimalsasLeaders #BlackMetal #CannibalUniverse #Entertainment #InstrumentalMetal #Intervals #Mar26 #MorbidAngel #OdiousMortem #OsmiumGate #Plini #Possessed #review #reviews #ScaletheSummit #SelfRelase
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/579956/

Osmium Gate – Cannibal Universe Review

Of all the discouraging and difficult elements contributing to people having appallingly bad taste not being into metal,…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Music #2026 #3.0 #AmericanMetal #AnimalsasLeaders #BlackMetal #CannibalUniverse #Entertainment #InstrumentalMetal #Intervals #Mar26 #MorbidAngel #OdiousMortem #OsmiumGate #Plini #Possessed #review #reviews #ScaletheSummit #SelfRelase
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/579956/

https://www.europesays.com/ie/432114/ Osmium Gate – Cannibal Universe Review #2026 #30 #AmericanMetal #AnimalsAsLeaders #BlackMetal #CannibalUniverse #Éire #Entertainment #IE #InstrumentalMetal #Intervals #Ireland #Mar26 #MorbidAngel #Music #OdiousMortem #OsmiumGate #Plini #Possessed #Review #Reviews #ScaleTheSummit #SelfRelase

Of all the discouraging and difficult elements contributing to people having appallingly bad taste not being into metal, the biggest sticking point has got to be the vocals. As inoffensive as we might find, for example, vintage Dave Vincent (Morbid Angel) or early Possessed, going all the way back to the genre roots, casual listeners find themselves appalled by what started out as gravely growls and has evolved into full retching and intestinal spew. While desensitization through repeated listens is the obvious solution, some bands solve the problem wholesale by eschewing vocals at all. I’ve been let down lately by some of my favorite genres, and while perusing the almost picked-clean promo pit, my eyes were caught by a bit of a rare tag around these parts: “Instrumental black metal.” Osmium Gate have arrived with a platter devoid of any vocals, a curious name, and some gorgeous artwork to emphasize the atmospheres within. Let’s strap in for a carnivorous adventure!

Cannibal Universe is a melodic release, heavy on atmosphere and beauty filtered through the requisite heavy sheen. Though ostensibly described as black metal, the overall production and tone sidesteps fuzzed-out tropes or crystalline polish with a sound more reminiscent of modern death metal but utilizing black metal composition techniques. This imparts a thicker flavor to the requite snare-and-bass trem heavy riffing (“Booming Dunes”, “Blood Rain”) while adding extra brass knuckles to some atypically chug-heavy movements (“Waters of Natron”). A heavy focus on sustained open chords for big mood and pathos is a major tool in Osmium Gate’s wheelhouse, with slower, emptier sections that feel tailor-made for amphitheater reverb rather than the blistering assault typically found in blackened wares.

Cannibal Galaxy by Osmium Gate

Instrumental music needs to have a dollop of “busyness” to justify the lack of vocals, and at their best Osmium Gate have the chops to get the job done. “Sailing Stone” features a fantastic spot of noodlage where a lead runs interlocked with a separate rhythm for a full and complex emotive experience. Cannibal Universe spots a decent amount of such highlights, where fun leads and overlapping time signatures summon the spirit of Scale the Summit or Plini. Fret not, the occasional thunderous blast or vintage Intervals chug is never far away to remind you that there’s nothing “post” about this album. Title track “Cannibal Universe” throws everything into the kitchen sink, sculpting doom-tempo’d plods into an avalanche of chord progressions which immediately scale back into a dollop of Odious Mortem melody with infinitely better production. But the real climax comes in mid-album cut “Nacreous.” This is the jewel of the album, running a wistful, melancholic lead under blast beats, which are worked in more atmospheric conjuncture with the slow-moving melodies. Such a highlight is an easy contender for song of the year, channeling genuine catharsis and summoning up enough feelings to bring some mist to even Tyme‘s crusty, battle-hardened eyes.

It may be a strange critique given the genre, but the only real stumbling block facing Osmium Gate is that not all the songs warrant an instrumental presentation. There’s no cut across this album that is bad, and much that is quite enjoyable, perfect for stargazing or late-night drives under the moon. But the band’s insistence on using large open chord structures across the album leaves a great deal of unbusy, open space where I found myself instinctively expecting vocal lines to fill the void. These particular cuts (“Waters of Natron”) aren’t definitively poor in any real sense as much as feeling incomplete, with the chord structures telling a partial story and lacking a sense of fullness elsewhere in the album. Bands like Animals As Leaders and their ilk nail the instrumental presentation by ushering the listener from one passage to the next without leaving any space for extra flair, where literally and metaphorically the music does all the talking. Here, Osmium Gate make real effort and grasp the goal more than once, but not consistently across the album. Tellingly, the tracks that throw off such restrictions are the least traditionally black metal sounding, as it’s when the songs sound the most typical that they sound the most unfinished.

Still, I’ve enjoyed my time with Cannibal Universe as a nice detour from my usual brutal and blackened fare. There’s genuine chops and promise here, and you owe it to yourself to at least listen to “Nacreous”. Osmium Gate have offered up a delicious platter of melodic black metal with limitations entirely surmountable. I’m not necessarily encouraging them to go out and get a vocalist (though I have no doubt they’d be capable of making a good album with one), but to push their songwriting to match the highlights here across an entire platter. Nevertheless, this album has moments worthy of note and any lover of instrumental metal should find something worthy of interest to be devoured…

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 13th 2025

Of all the discouraging and difficult elements contributing to people having appallingly bad taste not being into metal, the biggest sticking point has got to be the vocals. As inoffensive as we might find, for example, vintage Dave Vincent (Morbid Angel) or early Possessed, going all the way back to the genre roots, casual listeners find themselves appalled by what started out as gravely growls and has evolved into full retching and intestinal spew. While desensitization through repeated listens is the obvious solution, some bands solve the problem wholesale by eschewing vocals at all. I’ve been let down lately by some of my favorite genres, and while perusing the almost picked-clean promo pit, my eyes were caught by a bit of a rare tag around these parts: “Instrumental black metal.” Osmium Gate have arrived with a platter devoid of any vocals, a curious name, and some gorgeous artwork to emphasize the atmospheres within. Let’s strap in for a carnivorous adventure!

Cannibal Universe is a melodic release, heavy on atmosphere and beauty filtered through the requisite heavy sheen. Though ostensibly described as black metal, the overall production and tone sidesteps fuzzed-out tropes or crystalline polish with a sound more reminiscent of modern death metal but utilizing black metal composition techniques. This imparts a thicker flavor to the requite snare-and-bass trem heavy riffing (“Booming Dunes”, “Blood Rain”) while adding extra brass knuckles to some atypically chug-heavy movements (“Waters of Natron”). A heavy focus on sustained open chords for big mood and pathos is a major tool in Osmium Gate’s wheelhouse, with slower, emptier sections that feel tailor-made for amphitheater reverb rather than the blistering assault typically found in blackened wares.

Cannibal Galaxy by Osmium Gate

Instrumental music needs to have a dollop of “busyness” to justify the lack of vocals, and at their best Osmium Gate have the chops to get the job done. “Sailing Stone” features a fantastic spot of noodlage where a lead runs interlocked with a separate rhythm for a full and complex emotive experience. Cannibal Universe spots a decent amount of such highlights, where fun leads and overlapping time signatures summon the spirit of Scale the Summit or Plini. Fret not, the occasional thunderous blast or vintage Intervals chug is never far away to remind you that there’s nothing “post” about this album. Title track “Cannibal Universe” throws everything into the kitchen sink, sculpting doom-tempo’d plods into an avalanche of chord progressions which immediately scale back into a dollop of Odious Mortem melody with infinitely better production. But the real climax comes in mid-album cut “Nacreous.” This is the jewel of the album, running a wistful, melancholic lead under blast beats, which are worked in more atmospheric conjuncture with the slow-moving melodies. Such a highlight is an easy contender for song of the year, channeling genuine catharsis and summoning up enough feelings to bring some mist to even Tyme‘s crusty, battle-hardened eyes.

It may be a strange critique given the genre, but the only real stumbling block facing Osmium Gate is that not all the songs warrant an instrumental presentation. There’s no cut across this album that is bad, and much that is quite enjoyable, perfect for stargazing or late-night drives under the moon. But the band’s insistence on using large open chord structures across the album leaves a great deal of unbusy, open space where I found myself instinctively expecting vocal lines to fill the void. These particular cuts (“Waters of Natron”) aren’t definitively poor in any real sense as much as feeling incomplete, with the chord structures telling a partial story and lacking a sense of fullness elsewhere in the album. Bands like Animals As Leaders and their ilk nail the instrumental presentation by ushering the listener from one passage to the next without leaving any space for extra flair, where literally and metaphorically the music does all the talking. Here, Osmium Gate make real effort and grasp the goal more than once, but not consistently across the album. Tellingly, the tracks that throw off such restrictions are the least traditionally black metal sounding, as it’s when the songs sound the most typical that they sound the most unfinished.

Still, I’ve enjoyed my time with Cannibal Universe as a nice detour from my usual brutal and blackened fare. There’s genuine chops and promise here, and you owe it to yourself to at least listen to “Nacreous”. Osmium Gate have offered up a delicious platter of melodic black metal with limitations entirely surmountable. I’m not necessarily encouraging them to go out and get a vocalist (though I have no doubt they’d be capable of making a good album with one), but to push their songwriting to match the highlights here across an entire platter. Nevertheless, this album has moments worthy of note and any lover of instrumental metal should find something worthy of interest to be devoured…

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 13th 2025

Of all the discouraging and difficult elements contributing to people having appallingly bad taste not being into metal, the biggest sticking point has got to be the vocals. As inoffensive as we might find, for example, vintage Dave Vincent (Morbid Angel) or early Possessed, going all the way back to the genre roots, casual listeners find themselves appalled by what started out as gravely growls and has evolved into full retching and intestinal spew. While desensitization through repeated listens is the obvious solution, some bands solve the problem wholesale by eschewing vocals at all. I’ve been let down lately by some of my favorite genres, and while perusing the almost picked-clean promo pit, my eyes were caught by a bit of a rare tag around these parts: “Instrumental black metal.” Osmium Gate have arrived with a platter devoid of any vocals, a curious name, and some gorgeous artwork to emphasize the atmospheres within. Let’s strap in for a carnivorous adventure!

Cannibal Universe is a melodic release, heavy on atmosphere and beauty filtered through the requisite heavy sheen. Though ostensibly described as black metal, the overall production and tone sidesteps fuzzed-out tropes or crystalline polish with a sound more reminiscent of modern death metal but utilizing black metal composition techniques. This imparts a thicker flavor to the requite snare-and-bass trem heavy riffing (“Booming Dunes”, “Blood Rain”) while adding extra brass knuckles to some atypically chug-heavy movements (“Waters of Natron”). A heavy focus on sustained open chords for big mood and pathos is a major tool in Osmium Gate’s wheelhouse, with slower, emptier sections that feel tailor-made for amphitheater reverb rather than the blistering assault typically found in blackened wares.

Cannibal Galaxy by Osmium Gate

Instrumental music needs to have a dollop of “busyness” to justify the lack of vocals, and at their best Osmium Gate have the chops to get the job done. “Sailing Stone” features a fantastic spot of noodlage where a lead runs interlocked with a separate rhythm for a full and complex emotive experience. Cannibal Universe spots a decent amount of such highlights, where fun leads and overlapping time signatures summon the spirit of Scale the Summit or Plini. Fret not, the occasional thunderous blast or vintage Intervals chug is never far away to remind you that there’s nothing “post” about this album. Title track “Cannibal Universe” throws everything into the kitchen sink, sculpting doom-tempo’d plods into an avalanche of chord progressions which immediately scale back into a dollop of Odious Mortem melody with infinitely better production. But the real climax comes in mid-album cut “Nacreous.” This is the jewel of the album, running a wistful, melancholic lead under blast beats, which are worked in more atmospheric conjuncture with the slow-moving melodies. Such a highlight is an easy contender for song of the year, channeling genuine catharsis and summoning up enough feelings to bring some mist to even Tyme‘s crusty, battle-hardened eyes.

It may be a strange critique given the genre, but the only real stumbling block facing Osmium Gate is that not all the songs warrant an instrumental presentation. There’s no cut across this album that is bad, and much that is quite enjoyable, perfect for stargazing or late-night drives under the moon. But the band’s insistence on using large open chord structures across the album leaves a great deal of unbusy, open space where I found myself instinctively expecting vocal lines to fill the void. These particular cuts (“Waters of Natron”) aren’t definitively poor in any real sense as much as feeling incomplete, with the chord structures telling a partial story and lacking a sense of fullness elsewhere in the album. Bands like Animals As Leaders and their ilk nail the instrumental presentation by ushering the listener from one passage to the next without leaving any space for extra flair, where literally and metaphorically the music does all the talking. Here, Osmium Gate make real effort and grasp the goal more than once, but not consistently across the album. Tellingly, the tracks that throw off such restrictions are the least traditionally black metal sounding, as it’s when the songs sound the most typical that they sound the most unfinished.

Still, I’ve enjoyed my time with Cannibal Universe as a nice detour from my usual brutal and blackened fare. There’s genuine chops and promise here, and you owe it to yourself to at least listen to “Nacreous”. Osmium Gate have offered up a delicious platter of melodic black metal with limitations entirely surmountable. I’m not necessarily encouraging them to go out and get a vocalist (though I have no doubt they’d be capable of making a good album with one), but to push their songwriting to match the highlights here across an entire platter. Nevertheless, this album has moments worthy of note and any lover of instrumental metal should find something worthy of interest to be devoured…

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 13th 2025

Of all the discouraging and difficult elements contributing to people having appallingly bad taste not being into metal, the biggest sticking point has got to be the vocals. As inoffensive as we might find, for example, vintage Dave Vincent (Morbid Angel) or early Possessed, going all the way back to the genre roots, casual listeners find themselves appalled by what started out as gravely growls and has evolved into full retching and intestinal spew. While desensitization through repeated listens is the obvious solution, some bands solve the problem wholesale by eschewing vocals at all. I’ve been let down lately by some of my favorite genres, and while perusing the almost picked-clean promo pit, my eyes were caught by a bit of a rare tag around these parts: “Instrumental black metal.” Osmium Gate have arrived with a platter devoid of any vocals, a curious name, and some gorgeous artwork to emphasize the atmospheres within. Let’s strap in for a carnivorous adventure!

Cannibal Universe is a melodic release, heavy on atmosphere and beauty filtered through the requisite heavy sheen. Though ostensibly described as black metal, the overall production and tone sidesteps fuzzed-out tropes or crystalline polish with a sound more reminiscent of modern death metal but utilizing black metal composition techniques. This imparts a thicker flavor to the requite snare-and-bass trem heavy riffing (“Booming Dunes”, “Blood Rain”) while adding extra brass knuckles to some atypically chug-heavy movements (“Waters of Natron”). A heavy focus on sustained open chords for big mood and pathos is a major tool in Osmium Gate’s wheelhouse, with slower, emptier sections that feel tailor-made for amphitheater reverb rather than the blistering assault typically found in blackened wares.

Cannibal Galaxy by Osmium Gate

Instrumental music needs to have a dollop of “busyness” to justify the lack of vocals, and at their best Osmium Gate have the chops to get the job done. “Sailing Stone” features a fantastic spot of noodlage where a lead runs interlocked with a separate rhythm for a full and complex emotive experience. Cannibal Universe spots a decent amount of such highlights, where fun leads and overlapping time signatures summon the spirit of Scale the Summit or Plini. Fret not, the occasional thunderous blast or vintage Intervals chug is never far away to remind you that there’s nothing “post” about this album. Title track “Cannibal Universe” throws everything into the kitchen sink, sculpting doom-tempo’d plods into an avalanche of chord progressions which immediately scale back into a dollop of Odious Mortem melody with infinitely better production. But the real climax comes in mid-album cut “Nacreous.” This is the jewel of the album, running a wistful, melancholic lead under blast beats, which are worked in more atmospheric conjuncture with the slow-moving melodies. Such a highlight is an easy contender for song of the year, channeling genuine catharsis and summoning up enough feelings to bring some mist to even Tyme‘s crusty, battle-hardened eyes.

It may be a strange critique given the genre, but the only real stumbling block facing Osmium Gate is that not all the songs warrant an instrumental presentation. There’s no cut across this album that is bad, and much that is quite enjoyable, perfect for stargazing or late-night drives under the moon. But the band’s insistence on using large open chord structures across the album leaves a great deal of unbusy, open space where I found myself instinctively expecting vocal lines to fill the void. These particular cuts (“Waters of Natron”) aren’t definitively poor in any real sense as much as feeling incomplete, with the chord structures telling a partial story and lacking a sense of fullness elsewhere in the album. Bands like Animals As Leaders and their ilk nail the instrumental presentation by ushering the listener from one passage to the next without leaving any space for extra flair, where literally and metaphorically the music does all the talking. Here, Osmium Gate make real effort and grasp the goal more than once, but not consistently across the album. Tellingly, the tracks that throw off such restrictions are the least traditionally black metal sounding, as it’s when the songs sound the most typical that they sound the most unfinished.

Still, I’ve enjoyed my time with Cannibal Universe as a nice detour from my usual brutal and blackened fare. There’s genuine chops and promise here, and you owe it to yourself to at least listen to “Nacreous”. Osmium Gate have offered up a delicious platter of melodic black metal with limitations entirely surmountable. I’m not necessarily encouraging them to go out and get a vocalist (though I have no doubt they’d be capable of making a good album with one), but to push their songwriting to match the highlights here across an entire platter. Nevertheless, this album has moments worthy of note and any lover of instrumental metal should find something worthy of interest to be devoured…

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 13th 2025

Of all the discouraging and difficult elements contributing to people having appallingly bad taste not being into metal, the biggest sticking point has got to be the vocals. As inoffensive as we might find, for example, vintage Dave Vincent (Morbid Angel) or early Possessed, going all the way back to the genre roots, casual listeners find themselves appalled by what started out as gravely growls and has evolved into full retching and intestinal spew. While desensitization through repeated listens is the obvious solution, some bands solve the problem wholesale by eschewing vocals at all. I’ve been let down lately by some of my favorite genres, and while perusing the almost picked-clean promo pit, my eyes were caught by a bit of a rare tag around these parts: “Instrumental black metal.” Osmium Gate have arrived with a platter devoid of any vocals, a curious name, and some gorgeous artwork to emphasize the atmospheres within. Let’s strap in for a carnivorous adventure!

Cannibal Universe is a melodic release, heavy on atmosphere and beauty filtered through the requisite heavy sheen. Though ostensibly described as black metal, the overall production and tone sidesteps fuzzed-out tropes or crystalline polish with a sound more reminiscent of modern death metal but utilizing black metal composition techniques. This imparts a thicker flavor to the requite snare-and-bass trem heavy riffing (“Booming Dunes”, “Blood Rain”) while adding extra brass knuckles to some atypically chug-heavy movements (“Waters of Natron”). A heavy focus on sustained open chords for big mood and pathos is a major tool in Osmium Gate’s wheelhouse, with slower, emptier sections that feel tailor-made for amphitheater reverb rather than the blistering assault typically found in blackened wares.

Cannibal Galaxy by Osmium Gate

Instrumental music needs to have a dollop of “busyness” to justify the lack of vocals, and at their best Osmium Gate have the chops to get the job done. “Sailing Stone” features a fantastic spot of noodlage where a lead runs interlocked with a separate rhythm for a full and complex emotive experience. Cannibal Universe spots a decent amount of such highlights, where fun leads and overlapping time signatures summon the spirit of Scale the Summit or Plini. Fret not, the occasional thunderous blast or vintage Intervals chug is never far away to remind you that there’s nothing “post” about this album. Title track “Cannibal Universe” throws everything into the kitchen sink, sculpting doom-tempo’d plods into an avalanche of chord progressions which immediately scale back into a dollop of Odious Mortem melody with infinitely better production. But the real climax comes in mid-album cut “Nacreous.” This is the jewel of the album, running a wistful, melancholic lead under blast beats, which are worked in more atmospheric conjuncture with the slow-moving melodies. Such a highlight is an easy contender for song of the year, channeling genuine catharsis and summoning up enough feelings to bring some mist to even Tyme‘s crusty, battle-hardened eyes.

It may be a strange critique given the genre, but the only real stumbling block facing Osmium Gate is that not all the songs warrant an instrumental presentation. There’s no cut across this album that is bad, and much that is quite enjoyable, perfect for stargazing or late-night drives under the moon. But the band’s insistence on using large open chord structures across the album leaves a great deal of unbusy, open space where I found myself instinctively expecting vocal lines to fill the void. These particular cuts (“Waters of Natron”) aren’t definitively poor in any real sense as much as feeling incomplete, with the chord structures telling a partial story and lacking a sense of fullness elsewhere in the album. Bands like Animals As Leaders and their ilk nail the instrumental presentation by ushering the listener from one passage to the next without leaving any space for extra flair, where literally and metaphorically the music does all the talking. Here, Osmium Gate make real effort and grasp the goal more than once, but not consistently across the album. Tellingly, the tracks that throw off such restrictions are the least traditionally black metal sounding, as it’s when the songs sound the most typical that they sound the most unfinished.

Still, I’ve enjoyed my time with Cannibal Universe as a nice detour from my usual brutal and blackened fare. There’s genuine chops and promise here, and you owe it to yourself to at least listen to “Nacreous”. Osmium Gate have offered up a delicious platter of melodic black metal with limitations entirely surmountable. I’m not necessarily encouraging them to go out and get a vocalist (though I have no doubt they’d be capable of making a good album with one), but to push their songwriting to match the highlights here across an entire platter. Nevertheless, this album has moments worthy of note and any lover of instrumental metal should find something worthy of interest to be devoured…

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 13th 2025

Sinfonías de caos y silencios: 12 bandas recomendadas de rock/metal progresivo instrumental | vía #NaciónRock

https://www.nacionrock.com/sinfonias-de-caos-y-silencios-12-bandas-recomendadas-de-rock-metal-progresivo-instrumental/

#alejandrosilvapowercuarteto #considerthesource #engrupidpipol #especiales #hidalgo #intervals #plini #polyphia #scalethesummit #sithuaye #theirdogswereastronauts

Sinfonías de caos y silencios: 12 bandas recomendadas de rock/metal progresivo instrumental | vía #NaciónRock

https://www.nacionrock.com/sinfonias-de-caos-y-silencios-12-bandas-recomendadas-de-rock-metal-progresivo-instrumental/

#alejandrosilvapowercuarteto #considerthesource #engrupidpipol #especiales #hidalgo #intervals #plini #polyphia #scalethesummit #sithuaye #theirdogswereastronauts

Visitant – Rubidium Review

By Owlswald

No matter if you’re a seasoned band or new to the game, choosing the right pre-release track is critical when kicking off PR for a new album. And in a crowded music scene, where everyone is fighting to make their mark, the challenge is even greater: can you leave a lasting impression in the first few minutes to make me want to keep listening? Pensacola, Florida’s Visitant did just that with “Starless,” the first single from their debut album, Rubidium. Taylor Tidwell’s (Unaligned) blackened riffing, the death-infused rhythms of drummer Anthony Lusk-Simone (Abiotic) and bassist Kilian Duarte (Abiotic, Scale the Summit), and the tormented shrieks of vocalist Chelsea Marrow (Voraath) grabbed me immediately, leading me to promptly snag the full promo from the bone pile. Intended to be a departure from the members’ other projects, Rubidium offers a visceral and harrowing descent into a hellish, otherworldly state driven by profound loss and torment.

Visitant blends their tech-death roots with the classic symphonic black metal sound to craft Rubidium’s spiritual aura. The record’s haunting mood is immediately apparent on “Unworldly,” which opens with a sinister orchestral passage that quickly gives way to a vicious miasma of Marrow’s icy rasps, Lusk-Simone’s malevolent blasts and Tidwell’s eerie leads. The progression is reminiscent of early Cradle of Filth and gets the album off to a strong start. The performances on Rubidium are solid across the board, with Visitant skillfully blending technical precision with raw feel. The dynamic interplay between Tidwell’s guitar and Lusk-Simone’s drums create a stylish balance. The two frequently push and pull, creating a dialogue that feels synchronized but also spontaneous. Marrow—who has lent her vocal talents to video games like Doom Eternal and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II—contributes her versatility, conjuring vengeful spirits through an expressive séance of rasps and hoarse growls (“Fodder,” “Starless”), Gojira-encrusted hymns (“Rubidium,” “Briars”) and ethereal croons (“Moon Bathe,” “Envy’s Lament”). It’s evident she has great range, but her sparse use of her striking cleans is disappointing and could have been a game-changer for the group’s sound.

Rather than relying on the guitar to take center stage, Lusk-Simone’s technical drumming drives Visitant’s eldritch sound with powerful, forward-moving energy. His precision blasts, acrobatic fills and progressive rhythms imbue Rubidium with an aural restlessness, balancing Tidwell’s Opethian chords (“Rubidium,” “Unworldly”) and moody refrains. This creative reversal of a common metal paradigm—where guitars are the heart and soul—allows Lusk-Simone’s performance to shine. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the strongest three-song stretch—from “Starless” to “Fodder”—which are defined by Tidwell’s unnerving, bending milieus and proficient shredding that underpin Lusk-Simone’s explosive kit work. Noteworthy highlights include Lusk-Simone’s hard-hitting fills coupled with rapid-fire double bass and swing beats in “Fodder” or the title track’s memorable and heavy syncopated bridge where Lusk-Simone and Tidwell lock together perfectly before settling back into their respective roles.

But odd production choices unexpectedly hold back Rubidium’s strength. Despite Tidwell’s memorable and astute riffs, and a high DR score, the production often buries the guitars too far back in the mix. Consequently, this makes Tidwell’s playing feel muted and strips his guitar of its authority. I had to almost max out the mid-range EQ on my headphones to really hear Tidwell’s guitar work on tracks like “Briars” and “Otherworldly”—a frustrating outcome that’s impossible to overlook. At just thirty-two minutes, Rubidium also feels short, a feeling amplified by its closing instrumental, “Moon Bathe.” While the interlude has promising ideas and an interesting exotic flair, it’s over too quickly and feels underdeveloped.

Rubidium left me with a sense of anticipation rather than satisfaction, feeling less like a complete body of work and more like an intriguing blueprint for what’s to come. Still, when Visitant’s talents align—as they do on the album’s strongest tracks—the result is an unsettling and convincing blend of technicality and raw emotion. There’s no shortage of quality performances, and Rubidium has all the ingredients for a gripping album. By further refining their approach and leaning into their more bespoke qualities, Visitant is poised to deliver an album that builds on the considerable promise of this debut.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Exitus Stratagem Records
Websites: visitant1.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/visitantband
Releases Worldwide: August 22nd, 2025

#25 #2025 #Abiotic #AmericanMetalMetal #Aug25 #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #CradleOfFilth #DeathMetal #ExitusStratagemRecords #Gojira #Opeth #Review #Reviews #Rubidium #ScaleTheSummit #Unaligned #Visitant #Voraath

Visitant – Rubidium Review

By Owlswald

No matter if you’re a seasoned band or new to the game, choosing the right pre-release track is critical when kicking off PR for a new album. And in a crowded music scene, where everyone is fighting to make their mark, the challenge is even greater: can you leave a lasting impression in the first few minutes to make me want to keep listening? Pensacola, Florida’s Visitant did just that with “Starless,” the first single from their debut album, Rubidium. Taylor Tidwell’s (Unaligned) blackened riffing, the death-infused rhythms of drummer Anthony Lusk-Simone (Abiotic) and bassist Kilian Duarte (Abiotic, Scale the Summit), and the tormented shrieks of vocalist Chelsea Marrow (Voraath) grabbed me immediately, leading me to promptly snag the full promo from the bone pile. Intended to be a departure from the members’ other projects, Rubidium offers a visceral and harrowing descent into a hellish, otherworldly state driven by profound loss and torment.

Visitant blends their tech-death roots with the classic symphonic black metal sound to craft Rubidium’s spiritual aura. The record’s haunting mood is immediately apparent on “Unworldly,” which opens with a sinister orchestral passage that quickly gives way to a vicious miasma of Marrow’s icy rasps, Lusk-Simone’s malevolent blasts and Tidwell’s eerie leads. The progression is reminiscent of early Cradle of Filth and gets the album off to a strong start. The performances on Rubidium are solid across the board, with Visitant skillfully blending technical precision with raw feel. The dynamic interplay between Tidwell’s guitar and Lusk-Simone’s drums create a stylish balance. The two frequently push and pull, creating a dialogue that feels synchronized but also spontaneous. Marrow—who has lent her vocal talents to video games like Doom Eternal and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II—contributes her versatility, conjuring vengeful spirits through an expressive séance of rasps and hoarse growls (“Fodder,” “Starless”), Gojira-encrusted hymns (“Rubidium,” “Briars”) and ethereal croons (“Moon Bathe,” “Envy’s Lament”). It’s evident she has great range, but her sparse use of her striking cleans is disappointing and could have been a game-changer for the group’s sound.

Rather than relying on the guitar to take center stage, Lusk-Simone’s technical drumming drives Visitant’s eldritch sound with powerful, forward-moving energy. His precision blasts, acrobatic fills and progressive rhythms imbue Rubidium with an aural restlessness, balancing Tidwell’s Opethian chords (“Rubidium,” “Unworldly”) and moody refrains. This creative reversal of a common metal paradigm—where guitars are the heart and soul—allows Lusk-Simone’s performance to shine. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the strongest three-song stretch—from “Starless” to “Fodder”—which are defined by Tidwell’s unnerving, bending milieus and proficient shredding that underpin Lusk-Simone’s explosive kit work. Noteworthy highlights include Lusk-Simone’s hard-hitting fills coupled with rapid-fire double bass and swing beats in “Fodder” or the title track’s memorable and heavy syncopated bridge where Lusk-Simone and Tidwell lock together perfectly before settling back into their respective roles.

But odd production choices unexpectedly hold back Rubidium’s strength. Despite Tidwell’s memorable and astute riffs, and a high DR score, the production often buries the guitars too far back in the mix. Consequently, this makes Tidwell’s playing feel muted and strips his guitar of its authority. I had to almost max out the mid-range EQ on my headphones to really hear Tidwell’s guitar work on tracks like “Briars” and “Otherworldly”—a frustrating outcome that’s impossible to overlook. At just thirty-two minutes, Rubidium also feels short, a feeling amplified by its closing instrumental, “Moon Bathe.” While the interlude has promising ideas and an interesting exotic flair, it’s over too quickly and feels underdeveloped.

Rubidium left me with a sense of anticipation rather than satisfaction, feeling less like a complete body of work and more like an intriguing blueprint for what’s to come. Still, when Visitant’s talents align—as they do on the album’s strongest tracks—the result is an unsettling and convincing blend of technicality and raw emotion. There’s no shortage of quality performances, and Rubidium has all the ingredients for a gripping album. By further refining their approach and leaning into their more bespoke qualities, Visitant is poised to deliver an album that builds on the considerable promise of this debut.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Exitus Stratagem Records
Websites: visitant1.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/visitantband
Releases Worldwide: August 22nd, 2025

#25 #2025 #Abiotic #AmericanMetalMetal #Aug25 #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #CradleOfFilth #DeathMetal #ExitusStratagemRecords #Gojira #Opeth #Review #Reviews #Rubidium #ScaleTheSummit #Unaligned #Visitant #Voraath

Visitant – Rubidium Review

By Owlswald

No matter if you’re a seasoned band or new to the game, choosing the right pre-release track is critical when kicking off PR for a new album. And in a crowded music scene, where everyone is fighting to make their mark, the challenge is even greater: can you leave a lasting impression in the first few minutes to make me want to keep listening? Pensacola, Florida’s Visitant did just that with “Starless,” the first single from their debut album, Rubidium. Taylor Tidwell’s (Unaligned) blackened riffing, the death-infused rhythms of drummer Anthony Lusk-Simone (Abiotic) and bassist Kilian Duarte (Abiotic, Scale the Summit), and the tormented shrieks of vocalist Chelsea Marrow (Voraath) grabbed me immediately, leading me to promptly snag the full promo from the bone pile. Intended to be a departure from the members’ other projects, Rubidium offers a visceral and harrowing descent into a hellish, otherworldly state driven by profound loss and torment.

Visitant blends their tech-death roots with the classic symphonic black metal sound to craft Rubidium’s spiritual aura. The record’s haunting mood is immediately apparent on “Unworldly,” which opens with a sinister orchestral passage that quickly gives way to a vicious miasma of Marrow’s icy rasps, Lusk-Simone’s malevolent blasts and Tidwell’s eerie leads. The progression is reminiscent of early Cradle of Filth and gets the album off to a strong start. The performances on Rubidium are solid across the board, with Visitant skillfully blending technical precision with raw feel. The dynamic interplay between Tidwell’s guitar and Lusk-Simone’s drums create a stylish balance. The two frequently push and pull, creating a dialogue that feels synchronized but also spontaneous. Marrow—who has lent her vocal talents to video games like Doom Eternal and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II—contributes her versatility, conjuring vengeful spirits through an expressive séance of rasps and hoarse growls (“Fodder,” “Starless”), Gojira-encrusted hymns (“Rubidium,” “Briars”) and ethereal croons (“Moon Bathe,” “Envy’s Lament”). It’s evident she has great range, but her sparse use of her striking cleans is disappointing and could have been a game-changer for the group’s sound.

Rather than relying on the guitar to take center stage, Lusk-Simone’s technical drumming drives Visitant’s eldritch sound with powerful, forward-moving energy. His precision blasts, acrobatic fills and progressive rhythms imbue Rubidium with an aural restlessness, balancing Tidwell’s Opethian chords (“Rubidium,” “Unworldly”) and moody refrains. This creative reversal of a common metal paradigm—where guitars are the heart and soul—allows Lusk-Simone’s performance to shine. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the strongest three-song stretch—from “Starless” to “Fodder”—which are defined by Tidwell’s unnerving, bending milieus and proficient shredding that underpin Lusk-Simone’s explosive kit work. Noteworthy highlights include Lusk-Simone’s hard-hitting fills coupled with rapid-fire double bass and swing beats in “Fodder” or the title track’s memorable and heavy syncopated bridge where Lusk-Simone and Tidwell lock together perfectly before settling back into their respective roles.

But odd production choices unexpectedly hold back Rubidium’s strength. Despite Tidwell’s memorable and astute riffs, and a high DR score, the production often buries the guitars too far back in the mix. Consequently, this makes Tidwell’s playing feel muted and strips his guitar of its authority. I had to almost max out the mid-range EQ on my headphones to really hear Tidwell’s guitar work on tracks like “Briars” and “Otherworldly”—a frustrating outcome that’s impossible to overlook. At just thirty-two minutes, Rubidium also feels short, a feeling amplified by its closing instrumental, “Moon Bathe.” While the interlude has promising ideas and an interesting exotic flair, it’s over too quickly and feels underdeveloped.

Rubidium left me with a sense of anticipation rather than satisfaction, feeling less like a complete body of work and more like an intriguing blueprint for what’s to come. Still, when Visitant’s talents align—as they do on the album’s strongest tracks—the result is an unsettling and convincing blend of technicality and raw emotion. There’s no shortage of quality performances, and Rubidium has all the ingredients for a gripping album. By further refining their approach and leaning into their more bespoke qualities, Visitant is poised to deliver an album that builds on the considerable promise of this debut.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Exitus Stratagem Records
Websites: visitant1.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/visitantband
Releases Worldwide: August 22nd, 2025

#25 #2025 #Abiotic #AmericanMetalMetal #Aug25 #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #CradleOfFilth #DeathMetal #ExitusStratagemRecords #Gojira #Opeth #Review #Reviews #Rubidium #ScaleTheSummit #Unaligned #Visitant #Voraath

Visitant – Rubidium Review

By Owlswald

No matter if you’re a seasoned band or new to the game, choosing the right pre-release track is critical when kicking off PR for a new album. And in a crowded music scene, where everyone is fighting to make their mark, the challenge is even greater: can you leave a lasting impression in the first few minutes to make me want to keep listening? Pensacola, Florida’s Visitant did just that with “Starless,” the first single from their debut album, Rubidium. Taylor Tidwell’s (Unaligned) blackened riffing, the death-infused rhythms of drummer Anthony Lusk-Simone (Abiotic) and bassist Kilian Duarte (Abiotic, Scale the Summit), and the tormented shrieks of vocalist Chelsea Marrow (Voraath) grabbed me immediately, leading me to promptly snag the full promo from the bone pile. Intended to be a departure from the members’ other projects, Rubidium offers a visceral and harrowing descent into a hellish, otherworldly state driven by profound loss and torment.

Visitant blends their tech-death roots with the classic symphonic black metal sound to craft Rubidium’s spiritual aura. The record’s haunting mood is immediately apparent on “Unworldly,” which opens with a sinister orchestral passage that quickly gives way to a vicious miasma of Marrow’s icy rasps, Lusk-Simone’s malevolent blasts and Tidwell’s eerie leads. The progression is reminiscent of early Cradle of Filth and gets the album off to a strong start. The performances on Rubidium are solid across the board, with Visitant skillfully blending technical precision with raw feel. The dynamic interplay between Tidwell’s guitar and Lusk-Simone’s drums create a stylish balance. The two frequently push and pull, creating a dialogue that feels synchronized but also spontaneous. Marrow—who has lent her vocal talents to video games like Doom Eternal and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II—contributes her versatility, conjuring vengeful spirits through an expressive séance of rasps and hoarse growls (“Fodder,” “Starless”), Gojira-encrusted hymns (“Rubidium,” “Briars”) and ethereal croons (“Moon Bathe,” “Envy’s Lament”). It’s evident she has great range, but her sparse use of her striking cleans is disappointing and could have been a game-changer for the group’s sound.

Rather than relying on the guitar to take center stage, Lusk-Simone’s technical drumming drives Visitant’s eldritch sound with powerful, forward-moving energy. His precision blasts, acrobatic fills and progressive rhythms imbue Rubidium with an aural restlessness, balancing Tidwell’s Opethian chords (“Rubidium,” “Unworldly”) and moody refrains. This creative reversal of a common metal paradigm—where guitars are the heart and soul—allows Lusk-Simone’s performance to shine. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the strongest three-song stretch—from “Starless” to “Fodder”—which are defined by Tidwell’s unnerving, bending milieus and proficient shredding that underpin Lusk-Simone’s explosive kit work. Noteworthy highlights include Lusk-Simone’s hard-hitting fills coupled with rapid-fire double bass and swing beats in “Fodder” or the title track’s memorable and heavy syncopated bridge where Lusk-Simone and Tidwell lock together perfectly before settling back into their respective roles.

But odd production choices unexpectedly hold back Rubidium’s strength. Despite Tidwell’s memorable and astute riffs, and a high DR score, the production often buries the guitars too far back in the mix. Consequently, this makes Tidwell’s playing feel muted and strips his guitar of its authority. I had to almost max out the mid-range EQ on my headphones to really hear Tidwell’s guitar work on tracks like “Briars” and “Otherworldly”—a frustrating outcome that’s impossible to overlook. At just thirty-two minutes, Rubidium also feels short, a feeling amplified by its closing instrumental, “Moon Bathe.” While the interlude has promising ideas and an interesting exotic flair, it’s over too quickly and feels underdeveloped.

Rubidium left me with a sense of anticipation rather than satisfaction, feeling less like a complete body of work and more like an intriguing blueprint for what’s to come. Still, when Visitant’s talents align—as they do on the album’s strongest tracks—the result is an unsettling and convincing blend of technicality and raw emotion. There’s no shortage of quality performances, and Rubidium has all the ingredients for a gripping album. By further refining their approach and leaning into their more bespoke qualities, Visitant is poised to deliver an album that builds on the considerable promise of this debut.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Exitus Stratagem Records
Websites: visitant1.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/visitantband
Releases Worldwide: August 22nd, 2025

#25 #2025 #Abiotic #AmericanMetalMetal #Aug25 #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #CradleOfFilth #DeathMetal #ExitusStratagemRecords #Gojira #Opeth #Review #Reviews #Rubidium #ScaleTheSummit #Unaligned #Visitant #Voraath

Visitant – Rubidium Review

By Owlswald

No matter if you’re a seasoned band or new to the game, choosing the right pre-release track is critical when kicking off PR for a new album. And in a crowded music scene, where everyone is fighting to make their mark, the challenge is even greater: can you leave a lasting impression in the first few minutes to make me want to keep listening? Pensacola, Florida’s Visitant did just that with “Starless,” the first single from their debut album, Rubidium. Taylor Tidwell’s (Unaligned) blackened riffing, the death-infused rhythms of drummer Anthony Lusk-Simone (Abiotic) and bassist Kilian Duarte (Abiotic, Scale the Summit), and the tormented shrieks of vocalist Chelsea Marrow (Voraath) grabbed me immediately, leading me to promptly snag the full promo from the bone pile. Intended to be a departure from the members’ other projects, Rubidium offers a visceral and harrowing descent into a hellish, otherworldly state driven by profound loss and torment.

Visitant blends their tech-death roots with the classic symphonic black metal sound to craft Rubidium’s spiritual aura. The record’s haunting mood is immediately apparent on “Unworldly,” which opens with a sinister orchestral passage that quickly gives way to a vicious miasma of Marrow’s icy rasps, Lusk-Simone’s malevolent blasts and Tidwell’s eerie leads. The progression is reminiscent of early Cradle of Filth and gets the album off to a strong start. The performances on Rubidium are solid across the board, with Visitant skillfully blending technical precision with raw feel. The dynamic interplay between Tidwell’s guitar and Lusk-Simone’s drums create a stylish balance. The two frequently push and pull, creating a dialogue that feels synchronized but also spontaneous. Marrow—who has lent her vocal talents to video games like Doom Eternal and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II—contributes her versatility, conjuring vengeful spirits through an expressive séance of rasps and hoarse growls (“Fodder,” “Starless”), Gojira-encrusted hymns (“Rubidium,” “Briars”) and ethereal croons (“Moon Bathe,” “Envy’s Lament”). It’s evident she has great range, but her sparse use of her striking cleans is disappointing and could have been a game-changer for the group’s sound.

Rather than relying on the guitar to take center stage, Lusk-Simone’s technical drumming drives Visitant’s eldritch sound with powerful, forward-moving energy. His precision blasts, acrobatic fills and progressive rhythms imbue Rubidium with an aural restlessness, balancing Tidwell’s Opethian chords (“Rubidium,” “Unworldly”) and moody refrains. This creative reversal of a common metal paradigm—where guitars are the heart and soul—allows Lusk-Simone’s performance to shine. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the strongest three-song stretch—from “Starless” to “Fodder”—which are defined by Tidwell’s unnerving, bending milieus and proficient shredding that underpin Lusk-Simone’s explosive kit work. Noteworthy highlights include Lusk-Simone’s hard-hitting fills coupled with rapid-fire double bass and swing beats in “Fodder” or the title track’s memorable and heavy syncopated bridge where Lusk-Simone and Tidwell lock together perfectly before settling back into their respective roles.

But odd production choices unexpectedly hold back Rubidium’s strength. Despite Tidwell’s memorable and astute riffs, and a high DR score, the production often buries the guitars too far back in the mix. Consequently, this makes Tidwell’s playing feel muted and strips his guitar of its authority. I had to almost max out the mid-range EQ on my headphones to really hear Tidwell’s guitar work on tracks like “Briars” and “Otherworldly”—a frustrating outcome that’s impossible to overlook. At just thirty-two minutes, Rubidium also feels short, a feeling amplified by its closing instrumental, “Moon Bathe.” While the interlude has promising ideas and an interesting exotic flair, it’s over too quickly and feels underdeveloped.

Rubidium left me with a sense of anticipation rather than satisfaction, feeling less like a complete body of work and more like an intriguing blueprint for what’s to come. Still, when Visitant’s talents align—as they do on the album’s strongest tracks—the result is an unsettling and convincing blend of technicality and raw emotion. There’s no shortage of quality performances, and Rubidium has all the ingredients for a gripping album. By further refining their approach and leaning into their more bespoke qualities, Visitant is poised to deliver an album that builds on the considerable promise of this debut.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Exitus Stratagem Records
Websites: visitant1.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/visitantband
Releases Worldwide: August 22nd, 2025

#25 #2025 #Abiotic #AmericanMetalMetal #Aug25 #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #CradleOfFilth #DeathMetal #ExitusStratagemRecords #Gojira #Opeth #Review #Reviews #Rubidium #ScaleTheSummit #Unaligned #Visitant #Voraath

Dear Hollow’s Mathcore Madness [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

The equation above is AMG’s freakishly rigid and completely objective algorithm for scoring albums and determining quality. We incorporate statistics and abstract algebra, which I understand are very complicated maths, in order to get you the highest quality extreme music this side of the Hudson or Atlantic or Yangtze or wherever the hell you are. The trouble is, you bastards don’t listen to math (i.e. “hurr durr, Wilderun is so much better than this shit.”).1 So I listen to math because I’m a contributing citizen and patriot – I listen to mathcore for you. I wade through the cesspools of skronk and sass – RYM and Reddit – for the best of the best. I do it for the, like, three of you who dig it and the, like, eight billion of you who tell teens to turn it off before shuffling back inside for a bowl of Great Grains. What I do is super mathematical so you know it’s super serious. Mathcore is about as unlistenable and scathing as it is a total sellout – so you can offend nearly everyone who hears it. Random rhythms, migraine-inducing tempo shifts, painful squeals, no sense of melody or counting, vocals a la cheese grater to the throat – it’s skronk. So enjoy my bounties, you three. The rest of you can fuck right off.

Commence panic chords!!

Better Lovers // Highly Irresponsible – Last year’s barnstormer debut EP God Made Me an Animal set one hell of a precedent for Buffalo’s Better Lovers, and their debut full-length does not disappoint. Yes, it’s a revenge album against Keith Buckley’s lesser rival project Many Eyes, but Highly Irresponsible is soooo much more than petty Every Time I Die drama. Amplifying every facet of their sound, you get more manic barks and charismatic croons from legendary former The Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato, more chunky riffage from Fit for an Autopsy’s Will Putney, and more of a southern fried good time from three-fifths of the defunct-and-dramatic Every Time I Die.2 While unafraid to embrace hooky rock sensibilities (“Deliver Us from Life,” “At), the punky, bluesy, and sleazy all-out assaults of tempo-abusing insanity (“A White Horse Covered in Blood,” “Love As An Act of Rebellion”) collide with fret-squealing riff fests of the highest caliber (“Lie Between the Lines,” “Future Myopia”) in an insanely catchy, dynamic, stupid heavy, and stupid fun album with legendary status awaiting.

Frontierer // The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like a Life Vest As the Night Wept – Look, I get that it’s a thirteen-minute EP released super late 2024, but, c’mon, it’s fucking Frontierer. Somehow seeming more punishing than usual across its four tracks, thick-ass slogs hit like sledgehammers to the temple – translating well across its more frantic moments and slower menace – while rhythms attack with the ferocity and doomed inevitability of a swarm of locusts and vocalist Chad Kapper spits blood, vitriol, and insanity into the mic. Channeling the glacial suffocation that coursed through Oxidized, it doesn’t matter if the tempo is more upbeat and energetic (“As the Night Wept”) or if it’s content sludging in its own muck (“Wearing Hell”), or indulging in both (“The Skull Burned”), the vibrant dissonance swirls in dizzyingly mechanical intensity and the down-tuned riffs smother with ruthless arrhythmic beatdown chugs. While comparable to Ion Dissonance, Car Bomb, and this year’s Weston Super Maim in emphasis on down-tuned mathcore punishment, Frontierer remains one of the genre frontrunners and trendsetters by a significant margin – in a short thirteen minutes.

The God Awful Truth // All That Dark & All That Cold – Denton, Texas’ The God Awful Truth is likely everything love or hate about mathcore. Dissonance spilling sloppily across its shaky breakdowns, deathcore gut-punches, vocal attacks as insane as the squawking panic chords that paint the background like Jackson Pollock on too much crack, and rhythms jolting about like a toddler on a go-cart. Alongside these traditional The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza-isms (“Hail Paimon,” “Street Rat”), there is a lighthearted banter guided by vocalist Jordan LaFerney’s cowboy vocals and resulting poppy rhythms, punky tempos, and loose grind-esque composition (“Symbology,” “Slicked Back,” “Bad Tooth”), though the menacing still manages to punch through when least expected (“The Rainmaker,” “Omelette du Fromage”). It’s brutal whiplash of an album, not a semblance of traditional melody to be found, with deathcore breakdowns acting more as the punchline of a song-long joke. You’ll get a headache, but you’ll have fun along the way.

meth. / See You Next Tuesday // Asymmetrics – Mathcore and noisecore have a lot in common, namely unlistenable blasting. Your favorite Michigan deathcore/mathcore darlings See You Next Tuesday teams up with Chicago noisemongers meth. for Asymmetrics, more a collaborative experiment than a split. Each band records three songs, then shares only the drum tracks with the other, who records another song over that drum track. Toss in guest spots from The Red Chord’s Guy Kozowyk and Memphis-based sludgecore act Nights Like These, and all elements practically topple under Asymmetrics’ blazing intensity and immense weight. CUNT’s influence in relentless blasters (“The First Steps of Suffering,” “Syntax Error”) and blasting deathcore chug-and-squeal-fests (“Breaking Under the Weight of the Heaviest Burden,” “Tomb of Woe”) collide with meth.’s more ominous slow burns (“Succumb,” “Guest,” “Willing Participant”) in a surprisingly well-rounded package, all wrapped up in a tidy – and fuckin’ noisy – twenty-seven minutes. It’s the best of both worlds!

Utopia // Shame – A breed of technical metal recalling the fretboard-frying abilities of The Human Abstract or Scale the Summit, this UK-based group (including prolific bassist Arran McSporran of Virvum) balances a jazzy warmth and lush atmosphere to balance out the Dillinger rhythmic attack and Psyopus-inspired shredding, made further vicious by vocalist Chris Reese’s attack of frantic fries, manic shrieks, and ghastly roars. From intense attacks of intensity and brutality (“Shame,” “Social Contracts”), wonkier exposes of dissonant motifs and jagged rhythms (“Never Argue With an Idiot,” “The Gift of Failure”), and lush vistas of warm fretless bass and jazzy chords (“Sun Damage,” “Zither,” “Moving Gently Towards the Grave”), the dark themes of shame and morbidity are offset by a truly transcendent atmosphere that ties Shame together into something beyond mathcore.

Missouri Executive Order 44 // Salt Sermon – Absolutely unhinged mathgrind with a religious theme both belying and echoing their LDS missionary aesthetic (short-sleeved white button-ups, ties, shorts, and bicycle helmets) and ominous black masks, anonymous Independence collective Missouri Executive Order 44 approaches a morbid history of religious intolerance with the goal of utter annihilation. Cramming eleven songs into a mere sixteen minutes like blasters Sectioned or Fawn Limbs, you can expect it to hit hard and fast, complete with unhinged mathy meltdowns that spill across the face of concrete rhythm, meatheaded powerviolence chugs (“Christian Pornography,” “They Built a Bass Pro Shop in Our Zion”), surprisingly groovy riffs (“The Unbuckling,” “Seven is a Holy Number”), tied together with vocalist Jarom’s cult leader shrieks and sinner wails, alongside wickedly distorted Mormon spoken word and gospel samples. Posing no stance of their own aside from the dethroning of tyranny, Salt Sermon stands with all its tragedy and iconoclasm, both utterly devastating and utterly enticing.

Shiverboard // Hacksaw Morissette – Aside from the silly genius of the album name, New York’s Shiverboard eludes easy definition. Most consistently planted in grind, art-punk, screamo, and mathcore sensibilities, Hacksaw Morissette deals with fifteen tracks that feel like a shotgun blast. Punk is a common thread coursed through this tapestry of asininity, ranging from Sex Pistols-with-animalistic-snarls (“All Black Snoopy,” “Stain Remover”), complete collapses into noisecore (“Cryptic Bismuth,” “Chastity Jeans”), over-the-top deathcore blares (“Chainsaw Fruit Punch,” “Angelina Shit Ton”), math rock and Midwest emo musings straight outta Delta Sleep or American Football (title track, “Drug Test,” “The Garbage Stork,” “Vitamins of Darkness”), and complete grind and mathcore meltdowns (“If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power,” “Torrential Drencher”) – there’s something for everyone aboard Hacksaw Morissette. With just enough dynamic to keep things interesting but not too much experimentation to throw listeners (thanks to the tasteful brevity), Shiverboard could stand to throw some more my way.

Traveller // Broken Home – Sometimes bumping mathcore is just an excuse to include djent, and Germany’s Traveller falls into this category. Utilizing Erra’s Impulse-era formula, Architects’ melodic sensibilities, a touch of Northlane’s ethereal moments, and a DIY grit whose “loud and ouchy” weight is sure to be divisive. Guided by ferocious roars, sporadic cleans, and “thicc thiccly” breakdowns galore it often emulates that mid-2000s metalcore that recalls a djentier Feed Her to the Sharks (“Never Cared (2002),” “Mismatch,” “Limbo”). Other times, it incorporates a groove and technicality that recalls the shenanigans of last year’s MouthBreather, making it a curb-stomping affair with an edge of the menacing melodies and ethereal keys (“Acheron,” “Orpheus”). Traveller is more djent and less mathcore, sure, but (1) you’re getting a lot more with Broken Home and (2) that’s why it’s at the end of this list.

#2024 #AllThatDarkAllThatCold #AmericanFootball #Architects #BetterLovers #BrokenHome #DeltaSleep #Djent #Erra #EveryTimeIDie #FawnLimbs #FeedHerToTheSharks #FitForAnAutopsy #Frontierer #Grindcore #HacksawMorissette #HardcorePunk #HighlyIrresponsible #ManyEyes #Mathcore #Meth_ #MissouriExecutiveOrder44 #Mouthbreather #NightsLikeThese #Noisecore #Northlane #Psyopus #Punk #SaltSermon #ScaleTheSummit #Screamo #Sectioned #SeeYouNextTuesday #SexPistols #Shame #Shiverboard #TheDillingerEscapePlan #TheGodAwfulTruth #TheHumanAbstract #TheRedChord #TheSkullBurnedWearingHellLikeALifeVestAsTheSkyWept #TheTonyDanzaTapdanceExtravaganza #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #Traveller #TYMHM #Utopia #Virvum #Wilderun

Dear Hollow’s Mathcore Madness [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

The equation above is AMG’s freakishly rigid and completely objective algorithm for scoring albums and determining quality. We incorporate statistics and abstract algebra, which I understand are very complicated maths, in order to get you the highest quality extreme music this side of the Hudson or Atlantic or Yangtze or wherever the hell you are. The trouble is, you bastards don’t listen to math (i.e. “hurr durr, Wilderun is so much better than this shit.”).1 So I listen to math because I’m a contributing citizen and patriot – I listen to mathcore for you. I wade through the cesspools of skronk and sass – RYM and Reddit – for the best of the best. I do it for the, like, three of you who dig it and the, like, eight billion of you who tell teens to turn it off before shuffling back inside for a bowl of Great Grains. What I do is super mathematical so you know it’s super serious. Mathcore is about as unlistenable and scathing as it is a total sellout – so you can offend nearly everyone who hears it. Random rhythms, migraine-inducing tempo shifts, painful squeals, no sense of melody or counting, vocals a la cheese grater to the throat – it’s skronk. So enjoy my bounties, you three. The rest of you can fuck right off.

Commence panic chords!!

Better Lovers // Highly Irresponsible – Last year’s barnstormer debut EP God Made Me an Animal set one hell of a precedent for Buffalo’s Better Lovers, and their debut full-length does not disappoint. Yes, it’s a revenge album against Keith Buckley’s lesser rival project Many Eyes, but Highly Irresponsible is soooo much more than petty Every Time I Die drama. Amplifying every facet of their sound, you get more manic barks and charismatic croons from legendary former The Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato, more chunky riffage from Fit for an Autopsy’s Will Putney, and more of a southern fried good time from three-fifths of the defunct-and-dramatic Every Time I Die.2 While unafraid to embrace hooky rock sensibilities (“Deliver Us from Life,” “At), the punky, bluesy, and sleazy all-out assaults of tempo-abusing insanity (“A White Horse Covered in Blood,” “Love As An Act of Rebellion”) collide with fret-squealing riff fests of the highest caliber (“Lie Between the Lines,” “Future Myopia”) in an insanely catchy, dynamic, stupid heavy, and stupid fun album with legendary status awaiting.

Frontierer // The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like a Life Vest As the Night Wept – Look, I get that it’s a thirteen-minute EP released super late 2024, but, c’mon, it’s fucking Frontierer. Somehow seeming more punishing than usual across its four tracks, thick-ass slogs hit like sledgehammers to the temple – translating well across its more frantic moments and slower menace – while rhythms attack with the ferocity and doomed inevitability of a swarm of locusts and vocalist Chad Kapper spits blood, vitriol, and insanity into the mic. Channeling the glacial suffocation that coursed through Oxidized, it doesn’t matter if the tempo is more upbeat and energetic (“As the Night Wept”) or if it’s content sludging in its own muck (“Wearing Hell”), or indulging in both (“The Skull Burned”), the vibrant dissonance swirls in dizzyingly mechanical intensity and the down-tuned riffs smother with ruthless arrhythmic beatdown chugs. While comparable to Ion Dissonance, Car Bomb, and this year’s Weston Super Maim in emphasis on down-tuned mathcore punishment, Frontierer remains one of the genre frontrunners and trendsetters by a significant margin – in a short thirteen minutes.

The God Awful Truth // All That Dark & All That Cold – Denton, Texas’ The God Awful Truth is likely everything love or hate about mathcore. Dissonance spilling sloppily across its shaky breakdowns, deathcore gut-punches, vocal attacks as insane as the squawking panic chords that paint the background like Jackson Pollock on too much crack, and rhythms jolting about like a toddler on a go-cart. Alongside these traditional The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza-isms (“Hail Paimon,” “Street Rat”), there is a lighthearted banter guided by vocalist Jordan LaFerney’s cowboy vocals and resulting poppy rhythms, punky tempos, and loose grind-esque composition (“Symbology,” “Slicked Back,” “Bad Tooth”), though the menacing still manages to punch through when least expected (“The Rainmaker,” “Omelette du Fromage”). It’s brutal whiplash of an album, not a semblance of traditional melody to be found, with deathcore breakdowns acting more as the punchline of a song-long joke. You’ll get a headache, but you’ll have fun along the way.

meth. / See You Next Tuesday // Asymmetrics – Mathcore and noisecore have a lot in common, namely unlistenable blasting. Your favorite Michigan deathcore/mathcore darlings See You Next Tuesday teams up with Chicago noisemongers meth. for Asymmetrics, more a collaborative experiment than a split. Each band records three songs, then shares only the drum tracks with the other, who records another song over that drum track. Toss in guest spots from The Red Chord’s Guy Kozowyk and Memphis-based sludgecore act Nights Like These, and all elements practically topple under Asymmetrics’ blazing intensity and immense weight. CUNT’s influence in relentless blasters (“The First Steps of Suffering,” “Syntax Error”) and blasting deathcore chug-and-squeal-fests (“Breaking Under the Weight of the Heaviest Burden,” “Tomb of Woe”) collide with meth.’s more ominous slow burns (“Succumb,” “Guest,” “Willing Participant”) in a surprisingly well-rounded package, all wrapped up in a tidy – and fuckin’ noisy – twenty-seven minutes. It’s the best of both worlds!

Utopia // Shame – A breed of technical metal recalling the fretboard-frying abilities of The Human Abstract or Scale the Summit, this UK-based group (including prolific bassist Arran McSporran of Virvum) balances a jazzy warmth and lush atmosphere to balance out the Dillinger rhythmic attack and Psyopus-inspired shredding, made further vicious by vocalist Chris Reese’s attack of frantic fries, manic shrieks, and ghastly roars. From intense attacks of intensity and brutality (“Shame,” “Social Contracts”), wonkier exposes of dissonant motifs and jagged rhythms (“Never Argue With an Idiot,” “The Gift of Failure”), and lush vistas of warm fretless bass and jazzy chords (“Sun Damage,” “Zither,” “Moving Gently Towards the Grave”), the dark themes of shame and morbidity are offset by a truly transcendent atmosphere that ties Shame together into something beyond mathcore.

Missouri Executive Order 44 // Salt Sermon – Absolutely unhinged mathgrind with a religious theme both belying and echoing their LDS missionary aesthetic (short-sleeved white button-ups, ties, shorts, and bicycle helmets) and ominous black masks, anonymous Independence collective Missouri Executive Order 44 approaches a morbid history of religious intolerance with the goal of utter annihilation. Cramming eleven songs into a mere sixteen minutes like blasters Sectioned or Fawn Limbs, you can expect it to hit hard and fast, complete with unhinged mathy meltdowns that spill across the face of concrete rhythm, meatheaded powerviolence chugs (“Christian Pornography,” “They Built a Bass Pro Shop in Our Zion”), surprisingly groovy riffs (“The Unbuckling,” “Seven is a Holy Number”), tied together with vocalist Jarom’s cult leader shrieks and sinner wails, alongside wickedly distorted Mormon spoken word and gospel samples. Posing no stance of their own aside from the dethroning of tyranny, Salt Sermon stands with all its tragedy and iconoclasm, both utterly devastating and utterly enticing.

Shiverboard // Hacksaw Morissette – Aside from the silly genius of the album name, New York’s Shiverboard eludes easy definition. Most consistently planted in grind, art-punk, screamo, and mathcore sensibilities, Hacksaw Morissette deals with fifteen tracks that feel like a shotgun blast. Punk is a common thread coursed through this tapestry of asininity, ranging from Sex Pistols-with-animalistic-snarls (“All Black Snoopy,” “Stain Remover”), complete collapses into noisecore (“Cryptic Bismuth,” “Chastity Jeans”), over-the-top deathcore blares (“Chainsaw Fruit Punch,” “Angelina Shit Ton”), math rock and Midwest emo musings straight outta Delta Sleep or American Football (title track, “Drug Test,” “The Garbage Stork,” “Vitamins of Darkness”), and complete grind and mathcore meltdowns (“If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power,” “Torrential Drencher”) – there’s something for everyone aboard Hacksaw Morissette. With just enough dynamic to keep things interesting but not too much experimentation to throw listeners (thanks to the tasteful brevity), Shiverboard could stand to throw some more my way.

Traveller // Broken Home – Sometimes bumping mathcore is just an excuse to include djent, and Germany’s Traveller falls into this category. Utilizing Erra’s Impulse-era formula, Architects’ melodic sensibilities, a touch of Northlane’s ethereal moments, and a DIY grit whose “loud and ouchy” weight is sure to be divisive. Guided by ferocious roars, sporadic cleans, and “thicc thiccly” breakdowns galore it often emulates that mid-2000s metalcore that recalls a djentier Feed Her to the Sharks (“Never Cared (2002),” “Mismatch,” “Limbo”). Other times, it incorporates a groove and technicality that recalls the shenanigans of last year’s MouthBreather, making it a curb-stomping affair with an edge of the menacing melodies and ethereal keys (“Acheron,” “Orpheus”). Traveller is more djent and less mathcore, sure, but (1) you’re getting a lot more with Broken Home and (2) that’s why it’s at the end of this list.

#2024 #AllThatDarkAllThatCold #AmericanFootball #Architects #BetterLovers #BrokenHome #DeltaSleep #Djent #Erra #EveryTimeIDie #FawnLimbs #FeedHerToTheSharks #FitForAnAutopsy #Frontierer #Grindcore #HacksawMorissette #HardcorePunk #HighlyIrresponsible #ManyEyes #Mathcore #Meth_ #MissouriExecutiveOrder44 #Mouthbreather #NightsLikeThese #Noisecore #Northlane #Psyopus #Punk #SaltSermon #ScaleTheSummit #Screamo #Sectioned #SeeYouNextTuesday #SexPistols #Shame #Shiverboard #TheDillingerEscapePlan #TheGodAwfulTruth #TheHumanAbstract #TheRedChord #TheSkullBurnedWearingHellLikeALifeVestAsTheSkyWept #TheTonyDanzaTapdanceExtravaganza #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #Traveller #TYMHM #Utopia #Virvum #Wilderun

Dear Hollow’s Mathcore Madness [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

The equation above is AMG’s freakishly rigid and completely objective algorithm for scoring albums and determining quality. We incorporate statistics and abstract algebra, which I understand are very complicated maths, in order to get you the highest quality extreme music this side of the Hudson or Atlantic or Yangtze or wherever the hell you are. The trouble is, you bastards don’t listen to math (i.e. “hurr durr, Wilderun is so much better than this shit.”).1 So I listen to math because I’m a contributing citizen and patriot – I listen to mathcore for you. I wade through the cesspools of skronk and sass – RYM and Reddit – for the best of the best. I do it for the, like, three of you who dig it and the, like, eight billion of you who tell teens to turn it off before shuffling back inside for a bowl of Great Grains. What I do is super mathematical so you know it’s super serious. Mathcore is about as unlistenable and scathing as it is a total sellout – so you can offend nearly everyone who hears it. Random rhythms, migraine-inducing tempo shifts, painful squeals, no sense of melody or counting, vocals a la cheese grater to the throat – it’s skronk. So enjoy my bounties, you three. The rest of you can fuck right off.

Commence panic chords!!

Better Lovers // Highly Irresponsible – Last year’s barnstormer debut EP God Made Me an Animal set one hell of a precedent for Buffalo’s Better Lovers, and their debut full-length does not disappoint. Yes, it’s a revenge album against Keith Buckley’s lesser rival project Many Eyes, but Highly Irresponsible is soooo much more than petty Every Time I Die drama. Amplifying every facet of their sound, you get more manic barks and charismatic croons from legendary former The Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato, more chunky riffage from Fit for an Autopsy’s Will Putney, and more of a southern fried good time from three-fifths of the defunct-and-dramatic Every Time I Die.2 While unafraid to embrace hooky rock sensibilities (“Deliver Us from Life,” “At), the punky, bluesy, and sleazy all-out assaults of tempo-abusing insanity (“A White Horse Covered in Blood,” “Love As An Act of Rebellion”) collide with fret-squealing riff fests of the highest caliber (“Lie Between the Lines,” “Future Myopia”) in an insanely catchy, dynamic, stupid heavy, and stupid fun album with legendary status awaiting.

Frontierer // The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like a Life Vest As the Night Wept – Look, I get that it’s a thirteen-minute EP released super late 2024, but, c’mon, it’s fucking Frontierer. Somehow seeming more punishing than usual across its four tracks, thick-ass slogs hit like sledgehammers to the temple – translating well across its more frantic moments and slower menace – while rhythms attack with the ferocity and doomed inevitability of a swarm of locusts and vocalist Chad Kapper spits blood, vitriol, and insanity into the mic. Channeling the glacial suffocation that coursed through Oxidized, it doesn’t matter if the tempo is more upbeat and energetic (“As the Night Wept”) or if it’s content sludging in its own muck (“Wearing Hell”), or indulging in both (“The Skull Burned”), the vibrant dissonance swirls in dizzyingly mechanical intensity and the down-tuned riffs smother with ruthless arrhythmic beatdown chugs. While comparable to Ion Dissonance, Car Bomb, and this year’s Weston Super Maim in emphasis on down-tuned mathcore punishment, Frontierer remains one of the genre frontrunners and trendsetters by a significant margin – in a short thirteen minutes.

The God Awful Truth // All That Dark & All That Cold – Denton, Texas’ The God Awful Truth is likely everything love or hate about mathcore. Dissonance spilling sloppily across its shaky breakdowns, deathcore gut-punches, vocal attacks as insane as the squawking panic chords that paint the background like Jackson Pollock on too much crack, and rhythms jolting about like a toddler on a go-cart. Alongside these traditional The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza-isms (“Hail Paimon,” “Street Rat”), there is a lighthearted banter guided by vocalist Jordan LaFerney’s cowboy vocals and resulting poppy rhythms, punky tempos, and loose grind-esque composition (“Symbology,” “Slicked Back,” “Bad Tooth”), though the menacing still manages to punch through when least expected (“The Rainmaker,” “Omelette du Fromage”). It’s brutal whiplash of an album, not a semblance of traditional melody to be found, with deathcore breakdowns acting more as the punchline of a song-long joke. You’ll get a headache, but you’ll have fun along the way.

meth. / See You Next Tuesday // Asymmetrics – Mathcore and noisecore have a lot in common, namely unlistenable blasting. Your favorite Michigan deathcore/mathcore darlings See You Next Tuesday teams up with Chicago noisemongers meth. for Asymmetrics, more a collaborative experiment than a split. Each band records three songs, then shares only the drum tracks with the other, who records another song over that drum track. Toss in guest spots from The Red Chord’s Guy Kozowyk and Memphis-based sludgecore act Nights Like These, and all elements practically topple under Asymmetrics’ blazing intensity and immense weight. CUNT’s influence in relentless blasters (“The First Steps of Suffering,” “Syntax Error”) and blasting deathcore chug-and-squeal-fests (“Breaking Under the Weight of the Heaviest Burden,” “Tomb of Woe”) collide with meth.’s more ominous slow burns (“Succumb,” “Guest,” “Willing Participant”) in a surprisingly well-rounded package, all wrapped up in a tidy – and fuckin’ noisy – twenty-seven minutes. It’s the best of both worlds!

Utopia // Shame – A breed of technical metal recalling the fretboard-frying abilities of The Human Abstract or Scale the Summit, this UK-based group (including prolific bassist Arran McSporran of Virvum) balances a jazzy warmth and lush atmosphere to balance out the Dillinger rhythmic attack and Psyopus-inspired shredding, made further vicious by vocalist Chris Reese’s attack of frantic fries, manic shrieks, and ghastly roars. From intense attacks of intensity and brutality (“Shame,” “Social Contracts”), wonkier exposes of dissonant motifs and jagged rhythms (“Never Argue With an Idiot,” “The Gift of Failure”), and lush vistas of warm fretless bass and jazzy chords (“Sun Damage,” “Zither,” “Moving Gently Towards the Grave”), the dark themes of shame and morbidity are offset by a truly transcendent atmosphere that ties Shame together into something beyond mathcore.

Missouri Executive Order 44 // Salt Sermon – Absolutely unhinged mathgrind with a religious theme both belying and echoing their LDS missionary aesthetic (short-sleeved white button-ups, ties, shorts, and bicycle helmets) and ominous black masks, anonymous Independence collective Missouri Executive Order 44 approaches a morbid history of religious intolerance with the goal of utter annihilation. Cramming eleven songs into a mere sixteen minutes like blasters Sectioned or Fawn Limbs, you can expect it to hit hard and fast, complete with unhinged mathy meltdowns that spill across the face of concrete rhythm, meatheaded powerviolence chugs (“Christian Pornography,” “They Built a Bass Pro Shop in Our Zion”), surprisingly groovy riffs (“The Unbuckling,” “Seven is a Holy Number”), tied together with vocalist Jarom’s cult leader shrieks and sinner wails, alongside wickedly distorted Mormon spoken word and gospel samples. Posing no stance of their own aside from the dethroning of tyranny, Salt Sermon stands with all its tragedy and iconoclasm, both utterly devastating and utterly enticing.

Shiverboard // Hacksaw Morissette – Aside from the silly genius of the album name, New York’s Shiverboard eludes easy definition. Most consistently planted in grind, art-punk, screamo, and mathcore sensibilities, Hacksaw Morissette deals with fifteen tracks that feel like a shotgun blast. Punk is a common thread coursed through this tapestry of asininity, ranging from Sex Pistols-with-animalistic-snarls (“All Black Snoopy,” “Stain Remover”), complete collapses into noisecore (“Cryptic Bismuth,” “Chastity Jeans”), over-the-top deathcore blares (“Chainsaw Fruit Punch,” “Angelina Shit Ton”), math rock and Midwest emo musings straight outta Delta Sleep or American Football (title track, “Drug Test,” “The Garbage Stork,” “Vitamins of Darkness”), and complete grind and mathcore meltdowns (“If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power,” “Torrential Drencher”) – there’s something for everyone aboard Hacksaw Morissette. With just enough dynamic to keep things interesting but not too much experimentation to throw listeners (thanks to the tasteful brevity), Shiverboard could stand to throw some more my way.

Traveller // Broken Home – Sometimes bumping mathcore is just an excuse to include djent, and Germany’s Traveller falls into this category. Utilizing Erra’s Impulse-era formula, Architects’ melodic sensibilities, a touch of Northlane’s ethereal moments, and a DIY grit whose “loud and ouchy” weight is sure to be divisive. Guided by ferocious roars, sporadic cleans, and “thicc thiccly” breakdowns galore it often emulates that mid-2000s metalcore that recalls a djentier Feed Her to the Sharks (“Never Cared (2002),” “Mismatch,” “Limbo”). Other times, it incorporates a groove and technicality that recalls the shenanigans of last year’s MouthBreather, making it a curb-stomping affair with an edge of the menacing melodies and ethereal keys (“Acheron,” “Orpheus”). Traveller is more djent and less mathcore, sure, but (1) you’re getting a lot more with Broken Home and (2) that’s why it’s at the end of this list.

#2024 #AllThatDarkAllThatCold #AmericanFootball #Architects #BetterLovers #BrokenHome #DeltaSleep #Djent #Erra #EveryTimeIDie #FawnLimbs #FeedHerToTheSharks #FitForAnAutopsy #Frontierer #Grindcore #HacksawMorissette #HardcorePunk #HighlyIrresponsible #ManyEyes #Mathcore #Meth_ #MissouriExecutiveOrder44 #Mouthbreather #NightsLikeThese #Noisecore #Northlane #Psyopus #Punk #SaltSermon #ScaleTheSummit #Screamo #Sectioned #SeeYouNextTuesday #SexPistols #Shame #Shiverboard #TheDillingerEscapePlan #TheGodAwfulTruth #TheHumanAbstract #TheRedChord #TheSkullBurnedWearingHellLikeALifeVestAsTheSkyWept #TheTonyDanzaTapdanceExtravaganza #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #Traveller #TYMHM #Utopia #Virvum #Wilderun