#wreathe — Public Fediverse posts

The EP, Split and Single Post Part 2 [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

By El Cuervo

Long albums are fraught with perils: the wasted potential of pre-release singles or powerful openers; repetition as a band feels obliged to fill more time than they have ideas; inconsistent quality as some songs clearly supersede others; and the sheer fucking expanse of music being too much for a listener. They’re such risky business that I’d counsel against even bothering.

By contrast? I’d advise you either create or consume short-form releases. They’re among my favorite things in the world1. They convey their meaning expeditiously, prioritize quality over quantity and are far more economically viable for the artist2. Grindcore acts learned this over 30 years ago and who am I to deny the immense popularity and evident commercial viability of grindcore? As if all this wasn’t enough, bands that favor EPs, splits, singles and collaborations are also more sexually desirable. Don’t question the science; just open wide and accommodate the following releases. –El Cuervo

This is part 2. Part 1 is here.

Blood Incantation // Luminescent Bridge – As much as I enjoy synth-based ambient music, Timewave Zero was a little too slow to represent more to me than a mere curiosity in Blood Incantation’s story. Luminescent Bridge is a more harmonious fusion of the band’s warped death metal and spacey, synth aspirations, a 19-minute EP bridging what was previously quite a wide gap. What results is the thinking man’s death metal; less fist-pumping and compulsive than previous albums, but just as thought-provoking and technically mesmerizing. What helps most is that the lilting interludes and synth elements are more purposeful and form the connecting tissue between the death metal aspects. The band constitutes an unmissable modern metal band with both elements in their sound. –El Cuervo

Shadowrunner // Ocean of Time – Rebirth and Oblivion – Shadowrunner are low-key the best post-The Midnight retrowave act. All of their singles and EPs to date – note, no full-length album – offer essential listening for lovers of all things synth, sax, and nostalgia. The Ocean of Time duo represents a strange choose-your-own-adventure take on music, levering the same opening four songs but closing with four different ones. While I question this marketing gimmick, I absolutely cannot question the quality of the new music available here. Rebirth is warm and welcoming, while Oblivion balances this with crisper tones and marginally darker themes. Two sides of the same coin, the pair constitute the best synth-based music of 2023. –El Cuervo

Wreathe // The Land Is Not An Idle God – If your group contains members of Fall of Efrafa, Morrow, and Arboricidio, you can expect some amazing d-beatened, passionate emokrust, and Wreathe’s debut EP The Land Is Not An Idle God definitely fits that bill gloriously. Based on vocalist Alex CF’s own grimoire, The Book of Venym; An Egalitarian Demonology, The Land Is Not An Idle God seethes with defiant energy and heartfelt passion, with “Enemy of All Reason” pummeling ruthlessly while “The Stumps Are Graves of the Land” channels the forlorn-yet-hopeful energy of Morrow’s best moments. If you’re at all a fan of any of the aforementioned bands and you somehow don’t pick this up… the fuck’s wrong with you?! –Grymm

Dream Unending/Worm // Starpath – The collaboration I believed only existed in my wildest fantasies. While Dream Unending wears their heart on their sleeve with soaring, ethereal melodies, Worm’s allure comes rising out of spooky, clamorous aggression. Yet the contributions of both are—literally—resonant with otherworldly grace, with Justin DeTore (DU)’s low bellows echoing over layers of cymbals and ascending guitar, and Phantom Slaughter (Worm)’s vicious rasps bouncing off spidery riffs and ominous drums. And when Worm’s blackened death metamorphoses into ascendant, glittering soloing, it’s easy to see how well these two artists compliment one another. Each, in the songs allocated to them, shows the impressive reach of their own individual style, and goes just a bit further than before. “So Many Chances” sees DU extensively using clean vocals, for instance, while “Ravenblood” includes what is probably Worm’s slickest and most beautiful solo. Absolutely unmissable for fans of either, let alone both. –Thus Spoke

Dragoncorpse // The Drakketh Saga – Power metal meets deathcore. We’ve seen this before with Shadow of Intent, but we haven’t seen it the way Dragoncorpse do it. These Aussies’ first foray into two genres that seem antithetical to each other results in one of the most fun and whimsical deathcore experiences I had this year. Granted, this idea is still in its infancy and hence lacks cohesion in songwriting, and is rife with way too many expositional interludes. But between the awesome vocal variety and cool songwriting, I find it hard to care about the disjointed nature of the journey. The choruses are huge, the riffs and breakdowns heavy, and the story epic. “To the Sky” and “UNDYING” in particular are huge successes, testaments to the potential Dragoncorpse’s style holds. Flawed though it might be, it’s worth taking notice of this EP as the promise of something new and exciting for the future of hybridized extreme metal. –Kenstrosity

Spider God // The Faith Trilogy – To avoid another bout of ire from the public, I won’t talk about Spider God’s expanded catalog of black metal pop covers, even though it is a literal metric ton of silly, raw fun—including several covers of famous ad jingles, of all things! No, instead I’m going to talk about The Faith Trilogy, a collected work that includes all three of Spider God’s original EP trilogy based on Ingmar Bergman’s trilogy of the same name. While this material is not new, having been recorded between October and December of 2020, this newly unified compilation still represents everything that I love about Spider God’s original material. Delightful melodies, hooky songwriting, and an entertaining contrast between blackened rawness and jubilant, poppy performances. Nobody sounds like Spider God, and that’s a great thing. Don’t believe me? Just check out “Still No Words,” “Fight the Raging Storm,” “The Echo-God,” “Blood and Water,” “Horrible Forces,” “Strangers and Tears,” and “Embrace Despair.” –Kenstrosity

The Ember, The Ash // Venerate / Abnegate – A side project from 鬼, the creative mind behind Unreqvited, past efforts from The Ember, The Ash simply have not clicked with me. It was unexpected, therefore, that a death metal EP, sounding slightly clinical, even synthetic, in tone, replete with stuttering synth notes and heavily distorted guitars, and vox, should be the thing that finally works for me. But work it does. Concussive and thunderous, but (particularly on “Abnegate”) carrying a grand, semi-symphonic note driven by the synth work, it’s both brutal and beautiful. And it’s perhaps through that lens that I really hear the EP’s roots, anchored in the gorgeous post-black of Unreqvited’s Mosaic I: L’amour et l’ardeur, but now transformed into a snarling, riffing DM beast. –Carcharodon

Mortual // Evil Incarnation – Writhing, festering, booming, this disgusting Costa Rican death metal outing erupts the senses with overwhelming filth and unrelenting riffcraft. Mortual harkens back to a time when metal of this knuckle-scraping attitude reeked of frenetic thrash riffs and piercing whammy bombs—envision the Golgothan clamor of early Incantation trapped under the festering bed of the rainforest floor. Mortual abuses every microphone in the room to capture their hideously toned guitar drags and cavern-creaking kicks. Snarling, wide-cast tremolo rip and hammer-cast tom roll command heads to whip and bodies to flail. Succumbing low-end heft only for hideous solos (“Sadistic Obsession,” “Dimensional Chaos”) and half-time gut-punches led by murderous ride (“Morbid Thoughts,” “Master of Possession”), Evil Incarnation refuses to release you from the underbelly of its decay-imbued roars. In their own words, Mortual seeks to find through their amplified sermons the “ecstasy of death.” While I might still be standing, this loin-stirring EP has brought me, at least, to la petite mort. –Dolphin Whisperer

Spiritbox // The Fear of Fear – After the mainstream success of first full-length Eternal Blue and its singles “Holy Roller” and “Circle With Me,” Courtney LaPlante and company release an EP that sharpens the edges of their blurry debut. Heavier songs, catchier choruses, more guitar acrobatics, and LaPlante’s honed harsh vocal attack, incorporating growls alongside her already formidable pipes. Spiritbox immediately hits like a bomb with the frantic and mathy “Cellar Door,” a brutality further explored in “Angel Eyes.” Reconciling the heaviness and the ethereal quality, runaway singles “Jaded” and “The Void,” and closer “Ultraviolet” recall the act’s first two EP’s in dreamy guitar melodies and sultry choruses braced against brutal djent verses. Centerpiece “Too Close / Too Late” features LaPlante at her most vulnerable and charismatic, yearning lyrics taking front and center alongside a crescendo of a track. I don’t say this often, but with Spiritbox’s unique blend of ethereality and djenty brutality, The Fear of Fear is earning the Spotify fame in a spotlight surrounded by the Sleep Tokens and Knocked Looses of the world. –Dear Hollow

The Callous Daoboys // God Smiles Upon The Callous Daoboys – No one caught the feature-long joke in my TYMHM of The Callous Daoboys‘ Celebrity Therapist, and you bastards should be ashamed. Like, Nachos BellGrande ashamed. Here’s its fucking follow-up. God Smiles Upon The Callous Daoboys is the Atlanta six-piece’s first semi-self-titled offering, and God smiles ’cause it slays. “Pushing the Pink Envelope” and “Waco Jesus” are the carbon-dated slices of mania you expect from your favorite mathcore slayqueens, chunkier and heavier in its riffs but willing to snap your fingers snap your neck (not with Prong though, Steel Druhm) with whiplash, jerking you off from catchy choruses to panic chords to electronic beats to bone-crushing off-kilter chugs to salsa breakdowns (???) to piano trills – somehow conjuring the ghost of the memeworthy Iwrestledabearonce while sounding more cohesive. Closer “Designer Shroud of Turin” is where you take a hard left at Atlanta. Jazz, flamenco, and wildly intense electronics (courtesy of Netherlands DJ pulses.) infect the brutality and offers a new direction entirely. Go figure out my joke, then listen to this bad boy. No more Taco Bell for you. –Dear Hollow

#2023 #BlogPost #BloodIncantation #Dragoncorpse #DreamUnending #Mortual #Shadowrunner #SpiderGod #theAsh #TheEmber #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2023 #Worm #Wreathe

The EP, Split and Single Post Part 2 [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

By El Cuervo

Long albums are fraught with perils: the wasted potential of pre-release singles or powerful openers; repetition as a band feels obliged to fill more time than they have ideas; inconsistent quality as some songs clearly supersede others; and the sheer fucking expanse of music being too much for a listener. They’re such risky business that I’d counsel against even bothering.

By contrast? I’d advise you either create or consume short-form releases. They’re among my favorite things in the world1. They convey their meaning expeditiously, prioritize quality over quantity and are far more economically viable for the artist2. Grindcore acts learned this over 30 years ago and who am I to deny the immense popularity and evident commercial viability of grindcore? As if all this wasn’t enough, bands that favor EPs, splits, singles and collaborations are also more sexually desirable. Don’t question the science; just open wide and accommodate the following releases. –El Cuervo

This is part 2. Part 1 is here.

Blood Incantation // Luminescent Bridge – As much as I enjoy synth-based ambient music, Timewave Zero was a little too slow to represent more to me than a mere curiosity in Blood Incantation’s story. Luminescent Bridge is a more harmonious fusion of the band’s warped death metal and spacey, synth aspirations, a 19-minute EP bridging what was previously quite a wide gap. What results is the thinking man’s death metal; less fist-pumping and compulsive than previous albums, but just as thought-provoking and technically mesmerizing. What helps most is that the lilting interludes and synth elements are more purposeful and form the connecting tissue between the death metal aspects. The band constitutes an unmissable modern metal band with both elements in their sound. –El Cuervo

Shadowrunner // Ocean of Time – Rebirth and Oblivion – Shadowrunner are low-key the best post-The Midnight retrowave act. All of their singles and EPs to date – note, no full-length album – offer essential listening for lovers of all things synth, sax, and nostalgia. The Ocean of Time duo represents a strange choose-your-own-adventure take on music, levering the same opening four songs but closing with four different ones. While I question this marketing gimmick, I absolutely cannot question the quality of the new music available here. Rebirth is warm and welcoming, while Oblivion balances this with crisper tones and marginally darker themes. Two sides of the same coin, the pair constitute the best synth-based music of 2023. –El Cuervo

Wreathe // The Land Is Not An Idle God – If your group contains members of Fall of Efrafa, Morrow, and Arboricidio, you can expect some amazing d-beatened, passionate emokrust, and Wreathe’s debut EP The Land Is Not An Idle God definitely fits that bill gloriously. Based on vocalist Alex CF’s own grimoire, The Book of Venym; An Egalitarian Demonology, The Land Is Not An Idle God seethes with defiant energy and heartfelt passion, with “Enemy of All Reason” pummeling ruthlessly while “The Stumps Are Graves of the Land” channels the forlorn-yet-hopeful energy of Morrow’s best moments. If you’re at all a fan of any of the aforementioned bands and you somehow don’t pick this up… the fuck’s wrong with you?! –Grymm

Dream Unending/Worm // Starpath – The collaboration I believed only existed in my wildest fantasies. While Dream Unending wears their heart on their sleeve with soaring, ethereal melodies, Worm’s allure comes rising out of spooky, clamorous aggression. Yet the contributions of both are—literally—resonant with otherworldly grace, with Justin DeTore (DU)’s low bellows echoing over layers of cymbals and ascending guitar, and Phantom Slaughter (Worm)’s vicious rasps bouncing off spidery riffs and ominous drums. And when Worm’s blackened death metamorphoses into ascendant, glittering soloing, it’s easy to see how well these two artists compliment one another. Each, in the songs allocated to them, shows the impressive reach of their own individual style, and goes just a bit further than before. “So Many Chances” sees DU extensively using clean vocals, for instance, while “Ravenblood” includes what is probably Worm’s slickest and most beautiful solo. Absolutely unmissable for fans of either, let alone both. –Thus Spoke

Dragoncorpse // The Drakketh Saga – Power metal meets deathcore. We’ve seen this before with Shadow of Intent, but we haven’t seen it the way Dragoncorpse do it. These Aussies’ first foray into two genres that seem antithetical to each other results in one of the most fun and whimsical deathcore experiences I had this year. Granted, this idea is still in its infancy and hence lacks cohesion in songwriting, and is rife with way too many expositional interludes. But between the awesome vocal variety and cool songwriting, I find it hard to care about the disjointed nature of the journey. The choruses are huge, the riffs and breakdowns heavy, and the story epic. “To the Sky” and “UNDYING” in particular are huge successes, testaments to the potential Dragoncorpse’s style holds. Flawed though it might be, it’s worth taking notice of this EP as the promise of something new and exciting for the future of hybridized extreme metal. –Kenstrosity

Spider God // The Faith Trilogy – To avoid another bout of ire from the public, I won’t talk about Spider God’s expanded catalog of black metal pop covers, even though it is a literal metric ton of silly, raw fun—including several covers of famous ad jingles, of all things! No, instead I’m going to talk about The Faith Trilogy, a collected work that includes all three of Spider God’s original EP trilogy based on Ingmar Bergman’s trilogy of the same name. While this material is not new, having been recorded between October and December of 2020, this newly unified compilation still represents everything that I love about Spider God’s original material. Delightful melodies, hooky songwriting, and an entertaining contrast between blackened rawness and jubilant, poppy performances. Nobody sounds like Spider God, and that’s a great thing. Don’t believe me? Just check out “Still No Words,” “Fight the Raging Storm,” “The Echo-God,” “Blood and Water,” “Horrible Forces,” “Strangers and Tears,” and “Embrace Despair.” –Kenstrosity

The Ember, The Ash // Venerate / Abnegate – A side project from 鬼, the creative mind behind Unreqvited, past efforts from The Ember, The Ash simply have not clicked with me. It was unexpected, therefore, that a death metal EP, sounding slightly clinical, even synthetic, in tone, replete with stuttering synth notes and heavily distorted guitars, and vox, should be the thing that finally works for me. But work it does. Concussive and thunderous, but (particularly on “Abnegate”) carrying a grand, semi-symphonic note driven by the synth work, it’s both brutal and beautiful. And it’s perhaps through that lens that I really hear the EP’s roots, anchored in the gorgeous post-black of Unreqvited’s Mosaic I: L’amour et l’ardeur, but now transformed into a snarling, riffing DM beast. –Carcharodon

Mortual // Evil Incarnation – Writhing, festering, booming, this disgusting Costa Rican death metal outing erupts the senses with overwhelming filth and unrelenting riffcraft. Mortual harkens back to a time when metal of this knuckle-scraping attitude reeked of frenetic thrash riffs and piercing whammy bombs—envision the Golgothan clamor of early Incantation trapped under the festering bed of the rainforest floor. Mortual abuses every microphone in the room to capture their hideously toned guitar drags and cavern-creaking kicks. Snarling, wide-cast tremolo rip and hammer-cast tom roll command heads to whip and bodies to flail. Succumbing low-end heft only for hideous solos (“Sadistic Obsession,” “Dimensional Chaos”) and half-time gut-punches led by murderous ride (“Morbid Thoughts,” “Master of Possession”), Evil Incarnation refuses to release you from the underbelly of its decay-imbued roars. In their own words, Mortual seeks to find through their amplified sermons the “ecstasy of death.” While I might still be standing, this loin-stirring EP has brought me, at least, to la petite mort. –Dolphin Whisperer

Spiritbox // The Fear of Fear – After the mainstream success of first full-length Eternal Blue and its singles “Holy Roller” and “Circle With Me,” Courtney LaPlante and company release an EP that sharpens the edges of their blurry debut. Heavier songs, catchier choruses, more guitar acrobatics, and LaPlante’s honed harsh vocal attack, incorporating growls alongside her already formidable pipes. Spiritbox immediately hits like a bomb with the frantic and mathy “Cellar Door,” a brutality further explored in “Angel Eyes.” Reconciling the heaviness and the ethereal quality, runaway singles “Jaded” and “The Void,” and closer “Ultraviolet” recall the act’s first two EP’s in dreamy guitar melodies and sultry choruses braced against brutal djent verses. Centerpiece “Too Close / Too Late” features LaPlante at her most vulnerable and charismatic, yearning lyrics taking front and center alongside a crescendo of a track. I don’t say this often, but with Spiritbox’s unique blend of ethereality and djenty brutality, The Fear of Fear is earning the Spotify fame in a spotlight surrounded by the Sleep Tokens and Knocked Looses of the world. –Dear Hollow

The Callous Daoboys // God Smiles Upon The Callous Daoboys – No one caught the feature-long joke in my TYMHM of The Callous Daoboys‘ Celebrity Therapist, and you bastards should be ashamed. Like, Nachos BellGrande ashamed. Here’s its fucking follow-up. God Smiles Upon The Callous Daoboys is the Atlanta six-piece’s first semi-self-titled offering, and God smiles ’cause it slays. “Pushing the Pink Envelope” and “Waco Jesus” are the carbon-dated slices of mania you expect from your favorite mathcore slayqueens, chunkier and heavier in its riffs but willing to snap your fingers snap your neck (not with Prong though, Steel Druhm) with whiplash, jerking you off from catchy choruses to panic chords to electronic beats to bone-crushing off-kilter chugs to salsa breakdowns (???) to piano trills – somehow conjuring the ghost of the memeworthy Iwrestledabearonce while sounding more cohesive. Closer “Designer Shroud of Turin” is where you take a hard left at Atlanta. Jazz, flamenco, and wildly intense electronics (courtesy of Netherlands DJ pulses.) infect the brutality and offers a new direction entirely. Go figure out my joke, then listen to this bad boy. No more Taco Bell for you. –Dear Hollow

#2023 #BlogPost #BloodIncantation #Dragoncorpse #DreamUnending #Mortual #Shadowrunner #SpiderGod #theAsh #TheEmber #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2023 #Worm #Wreathe

The EP, Split and Single Post Part 1 [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

By El Cuervo

Long albums are fraught with perils: the wasted potential of pre-release singles or powerful openers; repetition as a band feels obliged to fill more time than they have ideas; inconsistent quality as some songs clearly supercede others; and the sheer fucking expanse of music being too much for a listener. They’re such risky business that I’d counsel against even bothering.

By contrast? I’d advise you either create or consume short-form releases. They’re among my favorite things in the world1. They convey their meaning expeditiously, prioritize quality over quantity and are far more economically viable for the artist2. Grindcore acts learned this over 30 years ago and who am I to deny the immense popularity and evident commercial viability of grindcore? As if all this wasn’t enough, bands that favor EPs, splits, singles and collaborations are also more sexually desirable. Don’t question the science; just open wide and accommodate the following releases. –El Cuervo

Asidhara // Echoes of the Ancients – There’s little that’s complicated about the pleasure I derive from Echoes of the Ancients by Asidhara. Riffs. Riffs. More riffs. Within 2023, these 4 tracks contain a concentration of top-drawer guitars bettered only by new the new Sylosis record. 20 minutes of straightforward thrash in April was exactly the headbanging salvo I required when compared with a March characterized by reviews of proggy material. I would compare these Welshmen to Power Trip due to the razor-sharp leads, energized vocal attack and crossover sensibilities. It’s a metallic tour de force and one you’d be idiotic to miss if you like guitar music. –El Cuervo

fromjoy // fromjoy – Few releases from 2023 delighted me as much as fromjoy’s self-titled EP. It represents 26 minutes of a shockingly vital fusion between grindcore, breakcore and vaporwave. No other band comes close for genre-bending ingenuity and cathartic insanity. I love each form of their sound, from the wretched, chaotic grind on “Accela,” to the gurgling, stomping breakdowns on “Docility,” to the dancing trip-hop on “Eros,” all the way through to the massive closing duo “Helios” and “Icarus.” The first of these fuses smooth saxophones and sexy synths with brutal breakcore, while the latter levers clean singing over vaporwave synths before closing the release with emotionally charged roars over fat riffs. These 5 minutes are worth the price of entry alone, but what comes before is so compelling that you’ll not want to stop listening. fromjoy and fromjoy are both essential. –El Cuervo

Glyph // When the World Was Young – I was probably predestined to enjoy the output of brand-spanking-new power metal band Glyph, because I’ve loved at least one album that each member has been a part of at one time or another. Comprising the vocal talents of R.A. Voltaire (Ravenous), the axe-wielding of Rob Steinway (ex-Skelator, Greyhawk), the low-end rumble of Darin Wall (ex-Skelator, Greyhawk), and the keyboard wizardry of Jeff Black (Gatekeeper), Glyph specializes in over-the-top power metal that should please fans of Rhapsody, Sabaton, and Gloryhammer. This demo sports three tracks of distinct styles and moods, nicely showcasing the band’s abilities and giving us a good idea of what to expect from future releases. When you take into consideration the music and the band’s social media output, it’s apparent that this project is meant to be fun, and I’m already smiling thinking about a Glyph full-length release. –Holdeneye

Strigoi // Bathed in a Black Sun – Because nobody got enough of Strigoi’s vampiric take on doom-tinged death metal from last year’s monstrous Viscera,3 Gregor Mackintosh and company are back with a brisk, brutal five-song, fourteen-minute EP chock full of heavy riffs and, in most cases, ludicrous speed. No really, “Beautiful Stigmata” says more in its scant 42 seconds than most songs of greater lengths. Besides the title track, all the other four songs were extras from the Viscera sessions, but don’t think this isn’t essential. In fact, besides the menacing “A Spear of Perfect Grief,” the songs on display are more than happy to rip your head clean off. –Grymm

Insomnium // Songs of the Dusk – What 2021 EP Argent Moon was to Heart Like a Grave, Songs of the Dusk is to Anno 1696. Specifically, it’s far superior to the respective most recent full-length release. Only three songs and twenty-odd minutes long, it nonetheless makes an impression through Insomnium’s own brand of dreamy, ballady melodeath. Those key changing, soaring choruses (“Flowers of the Night,” “Song of the Dusk”), and impassioned, flighty surges of dancing riffery (“Stained in Red”). Songs of the Dusk also leans heavily into atmosphere in ways not seen since Shadows of the Dying Sun at least, with glossy riffs fading in gracefully (“Song of the Dusk”), mournful, echoing tones backing up key refrains to give them a deep and shadowy presence (“Flowers of the Night”), and echoing clear guitar and piano over stripped-back synth. It never gets particularly lively, but fans of the band’s doomier, dreamier side will be very happy. –Thus Spoke

Vampire Squid // Plasmic – The previous three Vampire Squid outings all represent delightfully weird, skronky, mathy deathcore. Unreasonably heavy chugs, proggy song construction, and whimsical FX combine with Andrew Virrueta’s disgusting voKILLs to form submerged horrors unlike any other in the metalsphere. Then, Plasmic dropped in February and changed everything. Essentially Vampire Squid’s interpretation of brutal death metal with a slam kink, Plasmic is an inky pool of primordial slime for whatever this band is planning on unleashing next (“Cosmic Seepage,” “Wormholes Collide”). Stomps abound, enhanced by a wonderful pong snare, extra-filthy gurgles, and stripped-down, straightforward songwriting that reeks of Bolt Thrower (“Lurking Mystic”). If you’ve got fourteen minutes to spare, and I know that you do, dive deep into Vampire Squid’s horrific undersea world with Plasmic.4 –TheKenWord

Kanonenfieber // U-Bootsmann – At this juncture, it’s really not worth me pretending that I am anything other than an avowed Kanonenfieber fanboy. However, despite that, I assure you that the latest EP from German creator, Noise, is well worth your time and modest investment. In instantly recognizable form—from the practically trademarked orange cover art, through to the rasping roar of the dual-tracked vocals—the two tracks relate the tale of the crew of a First World War German u-boot, as they surge forth on their first mission (“Kampf und Sturm”), to their watery grave in an iron tube (“Die Havarie”). As with previous Kanonenfieber releases, there is something hopelessly mournful about the arc of the story told, from its initial, almost anthemic stomping blackened death on the first track, searing tremolos leading the charge, to an exhausted, fatalistic melo-black sound on the second. The production is excellent as ever, as is the use of samples, including the sonar pings and spoken word passages, which, whether original or not5, add a now-familiar feeling of authenticity to the piece. –Carcharodon

Grub Nap // God Pile – A clanging kit, a squealing guitar, two voices yelping, yowling in asynchronous pain—these values string-slinger Dan Barter (Dvne) and stick-abuser Steve Myles (Groak) hold true with Grub Nap. Though Barter’s name carries a refined yet trudging sludge weight, his fat tone knob guides lurching, hissing Melvins-edged grooves through Myles’ bare, rattling boned kit-tensity. Ever the elegant riff machine, the snaking refrains of tracks like “Closerer” and “Wire Mother” slink about with the snappy play that you might hear in a more loaded Deadguy tune. But more importantly, Barter’s hypnotizing, gain-soaked strums land in concerted attack with each full snare snap, each mechanically resonating crash, each strained throat cry (“Sticky Back Uranium,” “Tin Banshee”) to maintain a violent, marching fullness that understates its two-man nature. God Pile’s six-song, fifteen-minute run will test your neck-bobbing endurance—repeat sets recommended for maximum vibe gains and/or quick catharsis. –Dolphin Whisperer

Haru Nemuri // INSAINT – I know what you’re thinking. Doesn’t Haru Nemuri make that weird, art rap, pop-punk-y, pseudo-J-Idol music suited for matcha latte enjoyers?6 Yes, 2022’s SHUNKA RYOUGEN pulled an extended mess in too many directions despite a few entertaining ideas. INSAINT, however, leans on the straightforwardness of punk and low-frills post-hardcore, albeit colored by the bounce of J-pop and bright-guitar punk acts like 9mm Parabellum Bullet. It’s not a dig to say that the anthemic build of “Destruction Sisters” or the chime-assisted drive of “Flee from the Sanctuary” could find a home in hopeful, comedic, coming-of-age anime. Still, trickier rhythm cuts “I Refuse” and “Inferno” contain a pop-informed, brooding attitude akin to Nemuri’s other work. But framed in the context of this rock band arrangement—minimal synth accompaniment across INSAINT—Nemuri’s many vocal identities instead weave and exchange placement to balance the weight leading up to the furious-kick closer “No Pain, No Gain Is Shit.” If you need rapid-delivery, life-affirming injection to float your work day, consider a little INSAINT in your membrane. –Dolphin Whisperer

Celeste // Epilogue(s) – The French collective has made some of the most caustic and filthy music since their first album Nihiliste(s) in 2004, and the progression towards the more blackened furor of 2022’s Infidele(s) has been a natural one, translating that densely challenging filth and venomous vocals into strangulation by barbed wire rather than beaten by a rusty hammer. Follow-up EP Epilogue(s) acknowledges its predecessor but also takes its own course completely, Celeste offering three tracks that maintain the scathing quality while also dwelling in pummeling meditation with the two tracks while also tossing in their first cleanly and heart-wrenchingly sung, and in English, track “With idle hands.” Celeste kicks open the door of possibilities with this release, refusing to pigeonhole themselves into the caustic filth with which we are familiar – showing a glimpse of humanity beneath the grime. –Dear Hollow

#2023 #Asidhara #BlogPost #fromjoy #Glyph #GrubNap #HaruNemuri #Insomnium #Kanonenfieber #Strigoi #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2023 #VampireSquid #Worm #Wreathe

The EP, Split and Single Post Part 1 [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

By El Cuervo

Long albums are fraught with perils: the wasted potential of pre-release singles or powerful openers; repetition as a band feels obliged to fill more time than they have ideas; inconsistent quality as some songs clearly supercede others; and the sheer fucking expanse of music being too much for a listener. They’re such risky business that I’d counsel against even bothering.

By contrast? I’d advise you either create or consume short-form releases. They’re among my favorite things in the world1. They convey their meaning expeditiously, prioritize quality over quantity and are far more economically viable for the artist2. Grindcore acts learned this over 30 years ago and who am I to deny the immense popularity and evident commercial viability of grindcore? As if all this wasn’t enough, bands that favor EPs, splits, singles and collaborations are also more sexually desirable. Don’t question the science; just open wide and accommodate the following releases. –El Cuervo

Asidhara // Echoes of the Ancients – There’s little that’s complicated about the pleasure I derive from Echoes of the Ancients by Asidhara. Riffs. Riffs. More riffs. Within 2023, these 4 tracks contain a concentration of top-drawer guitars bettered only by new the new Sylosis record. 20 minutes of straightforward thrash in April was exactly the headbanging salvo I required when compared with a March characterized by reviews of proggy material. I would compare these Welshmen to Power Trip due to the razor-sharp leads, energized vocal attack and crossover sensibilities. It’s a metallic tour de force and one you’d be idiotic to miss if you like guitar music. –El Cuervo

fromjoy // fromjoy – Few releases from 2023 delighted me as much as fromjoy’s self-titled EP. It represents 26 minutes of a shockingly vital fusion between grindcore, breakcore and vaporwave. No other band comes close for genre-bending ingenuity and cathartic insanity. I love each form of their sound, from the wretched, chaotic grind on “Accela,” to the gurgling, stomping breakdowns on “Docility,” to the dancing trip-hop on “Eros,” all the way through to the massive closing duo “Helios” and “Icarus.” The first of these fuses smooth saxophones and sexy synths with brutal breakcore, while the latter levers clean singing over vaporwave synths before closing the release with emotionally charged roars over fat riffs. These 5 minutes are worth the price of entry alone, but what comes before is so compelling that you’ll not want to stop listening. fromjoy and fromjoy are both essential. –El Cuervo

Glyph // When the World Was Young – I was probably predestined to enjoy the output of brand-spanking-new power metal band Glyph, because I’ve loved at least one album that each member has been a part of at one time or another. Comprising the vocal talents of R.A. Voltaire (Ravenous), the axe-wielding of Rob Steinway (ex-Skelator, Greyhawk), the low-end rumble of Darin Wall (ex-Skelator, Greyhawk), and the keyboard wizardry of Jeff Black (Gatekeeper), Glyph specializes in over-the-top power metal that should please fans of Rhapsody, Sabaton, and Gloryhammer. This demo sports three tracks of distinct styles and moods, nicely showcasing the band’s abilities and giving us a good idea of what to expect from future releases. When you take into consideration the music and the band’s social media output, it’s apparent that this project is meant to be fun, and I’m already smiling thinking about a Glyph full-length release. –Holdeneye

Strigoi // Bathed in a Black Sun – Because nobody got enough of Strigoi’s vampiric take on doom-tinged death metal from last year’s monstrous Viscera,3 Gregor Mackintosh and company are back with a brisk, brutal five-song, fourteen-minute EP chock full of heavy riffs and, in most cases, ludicrous speed. No really, “Beautiful Stigmata” says more in its scant 42 seconds than most songs of greater lengths. Besides the title track, all the other four songs were extras from the Viscera sessions, but don’t think this isn’t essential. In fact, besides the menacing “A Spear of Perfect Grief,” the songs on display are more than happy to rip your head clean off. –Grymm

Insomnium // Songs of the Dusk – What 2021 EP Argent Moon was to Heart Like a Grave, Songs of the Dusk is to Anno 1696. Specifically, it’s far superior to the respective most recent full-length release. Only three songs and twenty-odd minutes long, it nonetheless makes an impression through Insomnium’s own brand of dreamy, ballady melodeath. Those key changing, soaring choruses (“Flowers of the Night,” “Song of the Dusk”), and impassioned, flighty surges of dancing riffery (“Stained in Red”). Songs of the Dusk also leans heavily into atmosphere in ways not seen since Shadows of the Dying Sun at least, with glossy riffs fading in gracefully (“Song of the Dusk”), mournful, echoing tones backing up key refrains to give them a deep and shadowy presence (“Flowers of the Night”), and echoing clear guitar and piano over stripped-back synth. It never gets particularly lively, but fans of the band’s doomier, dreamier side will be very happy. –Thus Spoke

Vampire Squid // Plasmic – The previous three Vampire Squid outings all represent delightfully weird, skronky, mathy deathcore. Unreasonably heavy chugs, proggy song construction, and whimsical FX combine with Andrew Virrueta’s disgusting voKILLs to form submerged horrors unlike any other in the metalsphere. Then, Plasmic dropped in February and changed everything. Essentially Vampire Squid’s interpretation of brutal death metal with a slam kink, Plasmic is an inky pool of primordial slime for whatever this band is planning on unleashing next (“Cosmic Seepage,” “Wormholes Collide”). Stomps abound, enhanced by a wonderful pong snare, extra-filthy gurgles, and stripped-down, straightforward songwriting that reeks of Bolt Thrower (“Lurking Mystic”). If you’ve got fourteen minutes to spare, and I know that you do, dive deep into Vampire Squid’s horrific undersea world with Plasmic.4 –TheKenWord

Kanonenfieber // U-Bootsmann – At this juncture, it’s really not worth me pretending that I am anything other than an avowed Kanonenfieber fanboy. However, despite that, I assure you that the latest EP from German creator, Noise, is well worth your time and modest investment. In instantly recognizable form—from the practically trademarked orange cover art, through to the rasping roar of the dual-tracked vocals—the two tracks relate the tale of the crew of a First World War German u-boot, as they surge forth on their first mission (“Kampf und Sturm”), to their watery grave in an iron tube (“Die Havarie”). As with previous Kanonenfieber releases, there is something hopelessly mournful about the arc of the story told, from its initial, almost anthemic stomping blackened death on the first track, searing tremolos leading the charge, to an exhausted, fatalistic melo-black sound on the second. The production is excellent as ever, as is the use of samples, including the sonar pings and spoken word passages, which, whether original or not5, add a now-familiar feeling of authenticity to the piece. –Carcharodon

Grub Nap // God Pile – A clanging kit, a squealing guitar, two voices yelping, yowling in asynchronous pain—these values string-slinger Dan Barter (Dvne) and stick-abuser Steve Myles (Groak) hold true with Grub Nap. Though Barter’s name carries a refined yet trudging sludge weight, his fat tone knob guides lurching, hissing Melvins-edged grooves through Myles’ bare, rattling boned kit-tensity. Ever the elegant riff machine, the snaking refrains of tracks like “Closerer” and “Wire Mother” slink about with the snappy play that you might hear in a more loaded Deadguy tune. But more importantly, Barter’s hypnotizing, gain-soaked strums land in concerted attack with each full snare snap, each mechanically resonating crash, each strained throat cry (“Sticky Back Uranium,” “Tin Banshee”) to maintain a violent, marching fullness that understates its two-man nature. God Pile’s six-song, fifteen-minute run will test your neck-bobbing endurance—repeat sets recommended for maximum vibe gains and/or quick catharsis. –Dolphin Whisperer

Haru Nemuri // INSAINT – I know what you’re thinking. Doesn’t Haru Nemuri make that weird, art rap, pop-punk-y, pseudo-J-Idol music suited for matcha latte enjoyers?6 Yes, 2022’s SHUNKA RYOUGEN pulled an extended mess in too many directions despite a few entertaining ideas. INSAINT, however, leans on the straightforwardness of punk and low-frills post-hardcore, albeit colored by the bounce of J-pop and bright-guitar punk acts like 9mm Parabellum Bullet. It’s not a dig to say that the anthemic build of “Destruction Sisters” or the chime-assisted drive of “Flee from the Sanctuary” could find a home in hopeful, comedic, coming-of-age anime. Still, trickier rhythm cuts “I Refuse” and “Inferno” contain a pop-informed, brooding attitude akin to Nemuri’s other work. But framed in the context of this rock band arrangement—minimal synth accompaniment across INSAINT—Nemuri’s many vocal identities instead weave and exchange placement to balance the weight leading up to the furious-kick closer “No Pain, No Gain Is Shit.” If you need rapid-delivery, life-affirming injection to float your work day, consider a little INSAINT in your membrane. –Dolphin Whisperer

Celeste // Epilogue(s) – The French collective has made some of the most caustic and filthy music since their first album Nihiliste(s) in 2004, and the progression towards the more blackened furor of 2022’s Infidele(s) has been a natural one, translating that densely challenging filth and venomous vocals into strangulation by barbed wire rather than beaten by a rusty hammer. Follow-up EP Epilogue(s) acknowledges its predecessor but also takes its own course completely, Celeste offering three tracks that maintain the scathing quality while also dwelling in pummeling meditation with the two tracks while also tossing in their first cleanly and heart-wrenchingly sung, and in English, track “With idle hands.” Celeste kicks open the door of possibilities with this release, refusing to pigeonhole themselves into the caustic filth with which we are familiar – showing a glimpse of humanity beneath the grime. –Dear Hollow

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