Category Archives: Review

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

The Mire – Vice Regalia

by Dæv Tremblay

a1848591908_16 (1)UK’s The Mire is a black metal band fond of experimentation, and not so much of preconceived ideas about the genre. They’ve been active since 2009 with a two-song demo, and Vice Regalia is their most recent release, which classifies as an EP, clocking in at just under 25 minutes. Unfortunately, the band has announced this release as their final one, and apparently won’t be making new music anymore.

The band blends clean singing with different styles of harsh vocals, which pulls them towards the side of avant-garde black metal just a little, sound-wise. To that is added their experimentation, … Read more

Panzerballett – Breaking Brain

by Deidre House

Munich, Germany’s Panzerballett has been one of my favorite bands for some time now. Merging the intricate brutality of progressive metal with the grace and elegance of modern jazz together with a dash of German humor and a healthy awareness of how bizarre this combination is, they are in my opinion one of the most original and virtuosic bands active at this time. Their fifth full length album, Breaking Brain, sufficiently expands on the formula that they’ve developed over the years and manages to meet my high expectations yet again.

Featuring a sax player in what would otherwise be … Read more

Instrumental (adj.) – A Series of Disagreements

by Dæv Tremblay

a1446988580_16Plini, Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt, The Helix Nebula, SEIMS, and Violence In Action have a baby together. The name of the child with such a terrifying genealogy is Instrumental (adj.). In fact, it’s not even an actual name. But as we shouldn’t mock anyone’s name, let’s tackle this one with no preconceived ideas.

Instrumental (adj.) is an instrumental (…) band from crazed Australia. If the portfolio of its progenitors is any indicator of how the offspring will turn out, then it’s going to be quite a listen! And oh boy how it is! A Series of … Read more

Spectral Lore – Gnosis

by Dæv Tremblay

a2074334670_16Gnosis is the second EP from Greece’s Spectral Lore this year, both labeled as “experimental” from the band. The first one, Voyager, was admittedly pretty different from the band’s usual material as it wasn’t a metal release at all. This one, on the other hand, is closer to their style, but still has some aspects that make it stand out.

First of all are the Middle Eastern-sounding melodies found in there, and also a greater focus on acoustic instruments. The latter is at its extreme on Averroes’ Search. This aligns well with Spectral Lore’s approach to songwriting, in … Read more