Monthly Recommendations: October 2016

by Dæv Tremblay

monthlyrecommendations

Here’s what we think are the best releases of October! As always, it’s a very difficult choice, as there are many other very worthwhile releases, so I would suggest going back to read some of our mini-review sets!

‘Car Bomb‘s Meta is a whole new level of terrorism. From their 2007 debut, Centralia, the band kept digging deeper and deeper into the realms of philosophy and mathematics (as showcased in w^w^^w^w) and applying them as compositional tools. I don’t need to tell you how relieved I am to see that this trend is continued in their latest attack. Their undecipherable… Read more

Mini-Reviews XXVII

by Dæv Tremblay

osr12
British melodic progressive metal band Hieroglyph are to release their new album, Ouroboros, on November eighteenth. The eleven-track, sixty-seven minute concept album explores cards of the tarot, most specifically the Major Arcana. Most tracks are pretty generic, but showcase an enjoyable if expectable sound, but the closer, ‘Ouroboros (The Magician)’ shows what the band can do with some additional time to explore their compositions. Overall, it’s a pretty good album, but it’s nothing exceptional.
Værbitt‘s Tid is a pretty substantial slab of Norwegian atmospheric black metal with blackgaze elements. The three tracks on record, each at around … Read more

Mini-Reviews XXVI

by Dæv Tremblay

osr12 Dischordia is a progressive death metal band from the United States of America, and their upcoming album, Thanatopsis, out on November twenty-fifth, is something I would’ve preferred not heard. It’s difficult to pinpoint where they failed, because they’ve got many elements that would otherwise get my happy: dissonant harmonies and voicings, odd time signatures, cool riffs and extreme drums, and yet nothing seems to be held together. My best guess is either something with the production or the cohesiveness of the different band members.

Brazilian fusion jazz band Metá Metá have released, back in August, MM3, an album, … Read more

Mammoth – Deviations

by Jeff Nixon

mammothIn the world of progressive rock and metal, instrumental albums are pretty common so it’s a bit hard to stand out. Mammoth absolutely manage to do this with their new album Deviations. Impressive playing paired with amazing production quality and beautiful tones prove that these guys are at the top of their class.

The first song, ‘Entanglements’ sounds like an entanglement of instruments weaving wonderfully through each other. Impressive guitar arpeggios and solos are complemented by ambient keyboards and intense drums. The middle section of the song calms down with a bright clean section that builds back up into … Read more

Mini-Reviews XXV

by Dæv Tremblay

osr
Strange Loops is my first acquaintance with British death metal band Mithras. The experimental death metal duo’s newest release is almost an hour of fast and sometimes atmospheric music that never fully finds what it strives for. It’s unarguably a promising record, but it doesn’t get to maturity. It’s full of cool moments, but there’s just something missing, something that makes it so that it isn’t completely for me. Try it out, you might like it!
Bogotá, Colombia’s progressive black metal band Cóndor‘s previous album, Duin, has been highly praised by one my favourite reviewers, but I … Read more