Site update: You remember a while ago we switched to writing sets of eight, and then nine mini-reviews, for the sake of covering a wider range of releases, and to be able to share the highest amount of quality releases we could manage? Then, remember how we switched to making solo mini-reviews, because I didn’t think these sets made justice to the best releases we covered? Now, I think it’s time for a sort of middle ground. I often find myself with albums I enjoy but don’t have much to say about, not enough to write a mini-review for them … Read more
Valtozash – Wizard-Bird
The Australian jazz metal fusion orchestra Valtozash is quite a newcomer, when it comes to their young age as a group, but they’ve already made their marks with their 2016 debut album, Iron Maiden Voyage. Barely more than a year later, they’re back with a sophomore release in Wizard-Bird. For those unaware, the ensemble is quite extensive: five saxophone players, three for trumpets, four trombones, and a vibraphonist all play alongside the traditional guitars-bass-drums trio. On top of that, the track from which the album title is taken features the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra! Through musical humour and a … Read more
Monthly Recommendations – September 2017
II II II – Frequency Illusion
What is there to say, honestly? The works presented on this full-length album takes what the band’s debut was all about, but with slightly better production and composition overall. You still get the mathy riffs, the jazzy grooves, and the hardcore-style vocals, but you get more of them, and you get only the best of them.
Rivener – Rivener
… Read moreThe band definitely borrows a lot from free jazz, but they apply their knowledge of it successfully to experimental and noise rock. Well, maybe it’s just not jazz by omission. Lay down some saxophone
Archspire – Relentless Mutation
Canadian band Archspire surely needs no introduction. With a single album, they defined themselves as the epitome of their genre and a paragon to strive for. That genre is technical death metal – tech-death for short –, and that album was The Lucid Collective, released in 2014. Earlier this month, the Vancouverites released their new album, under the edgy moniker Relentless Mutation. More than simply a follow-up, it’s actually a step up, as incredible as it sounds from a band already seen as over the top as this one. A while ago now, they teased a drum practice … Read more
Five the Hierophant – Over Phlegethon
Doom metal comes in all shapes and forms. And, often, the most peculiar of them are the most intriguing. Enters Five the Hierophant, a trio from London that makes doom their very own way. The most striking aspect of the band’s sound is, of course, the use of instruments seldom heard in metal music: djembe, Tibetan horn, violin, saxophone (though this last one is now rather common sight)… Beyond this, they also take a heavy leaning on drone passages, spoken word excerpts, and a natural sense of song progression and structure. All of this can be found on their … Read more