Cryptic Ruse had us all turning heads with their 2014 album, “Chains of Smoke”, because of its incorporation of microtonality in different styles of metal. This time, “Wasting & Thirsting” focuses on the slower genres and styles of metal – still with microtonality -, on three long composition, the dissonances of which will make your skin crawl. It’s very interesting to have an emphasis on dissonance set with different microtonal tuning systems. I’m guessing, by the title tracks, that they are written in 23-, 17-, and 14-EDO respectively, but I might be wrong. The songs are very slow and atmospheric, … Read more
Monthly Archives: August 2016
Mini-Reviews VIII
“Dead Ringers” is Horseback’s new and ablazin’ album. Coming out tomorrow, August twelfth, their special blend of psychedelic stoner doom is quite simply on point! Eighties-inspired synthesizers, eery clean vocals, atmospheric chorus-y guitars and minimal beats together create a strange new beast with its own volition, not unlike the horselike decapodal creature on the beautiful cover art of the album. I can’t underline this enough: you need this album in your life!
Coming out on the twenty-first of August, “Sonance” is Contemplator’s new album. If you don’t remember them, their 2013 self-titled release was delicious and surprising. With “Sonance”, the … Read more
Fountainhead – Reverse Engineering
It’s been a while since I listened to a solo album by a member of a known band (a.k.a. Jeff Loomis, Christian Münzner, Mark Tremonti, etc); even if they’re a nice showcase of their musical prowess and are guaranteed to a give you a lot of fun, in most cases they don’t stick enough with me to repeat them after a few spins. Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger, new member from tech-death overlords Obscura, is a refresh to my ears with his second official release “Reverse Engineering”. This is the third album I listen to this year that contains his … Read more
Mini-Reviews VII: With Extra 33%
I’ve had a really busy week with very few free time, so new albums piled up more than usual. Here are twelve new pieces of work I wanted to talk about!
Coma Cluster Void is a band that, since its inception, mustered a lot of hype, and I’m glad to say that Mind Cemeteries all but fails to meet the expectations. It’s a slab of violent, technical, brutal, dissonant, mathematical, avant-garde death metal that will more than satisfy most of you here. The songs are constructed to near perfection and every person’s role in the band is played just right … Read more