Author Archives: Dæv Tremblay

Forced Fusion

by Dæv Tremblay

Mute the Saint is the latest example of what I will call forced fusion, but they are certainly not the only one, and definitely not the first or last one we’ll have to endure. Forced fusion is the merger of two musical genres, or the addition of a gimmick to an already existing genre, in a rushed or shallow manner.

The first other band I can think of is M.A.N, later known as Massive Audio Nerve. They claim to be the first microtonal metal band, and I am very highly doubtful on that, with their first album released … Read more

OSR: December 3rd, 2015

by Dæv Tremblay

In today’s one-sentence reviews, we’ll take a jab at

An inventive and sweet prepared piano and beats album; gets better the more you listen to it. A saturated sort of death grind EP that’s quite good, really! An ambient and dark jazz album that’s quite minimalistic and dissonant in its approach.
Finally, new Sikth music; need I say more? A rather odd experimental rock album that will seduce you with its careless innocence. I’m all for innovation, and it’s the first time I hear saxophone and jazz influence in sludge music; it’s great, too! Antigama have returned with probably the… Read more

Monthly Recommendations: November 2015

by Dæv Tremblay

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Here are the best of the best from this crazy month of November. Seriously, we could’ve put way more amazing albums to not miss on, but we chose the four on top.

Alarmist – Popular Demain

Brimming with complexity and catchiness in equal measures, Popular Demain is an uncompromising masterwork of progressive fusion that I suspect I’ll be coming back to for a long time. Rarely do you hear such tuneful melodies amidst such deep and layered arrangements.

Instrumental (adj.) – A Series of Disagreements
“A Series of Disagreements doesn’t have any fat; it’s only meat. That’s also what makes … Read more

Zayn – Fields of God

by Dæv Tremblay

a1980823415_16Zayn is a Croatian post-metal quartet, and Fields of God is their third release; it’s also their lengthiest, at around 30 minutes, which barely puts it as an LP.

The music itself is some instrumental amalgamation of post-metal and progressive metal. Some grooves are reminiscent of early Tool, maybe because of the prominent bass guitar. Contrary to many post and prog outfits these days, they don’t do into lengthy songs. The most extensive one on this album is the seven-minute title track. This is also pretty contradictory with their focus on atmosphere rather than polyrhythmics, or technicality. Not that these … Read more

Slice the Cake – Odyssey to the West [UNFINISHED]

by Dæv Tremblay

a2703576326_16Slice the Cake have been around since 2009 and released their debut EP, “Cleanse” in 2010. They became more well-known with their 2012 album “The Man with No Face”, which raised the band to world fame in the spheres of progressive metal and metalcore, only reinforced by “Other Slices”.

With Odyssey to the West, the trio pushes even farther the boundaries of their own brand of music. Their musicianship and creativity is at their utmost, and is best portrayed on [NAME RELEVANT SONG FROM ODYSSEY THAT MATCHES DESCRIPTION]: a song of epic proportions both structurally and conceptually! They’ve built … Read more