Haken – Affinity, an Analysis Of

by Jeff Nixon

Press_Cover_01

I wasn’t introduced to Haken until early 2014 when I discovered their 2013 release The Mountain. I loved that album and immediately listened to the rest of their discography. Later that year, they released their EP Restoration which was an awesome look into their past, re-imagining and re-recording songs from their demo with higher production quality. Now, nearly two years later, we’re graced with a new full-length album called Affinity.

hakenpromotion

If you followed Haken’s facebook page closely in January of this year, you might have seen them post a few times about the name and content of the … Read more

OSR: April 19th, 2016

by Dæv Tremblay

osr4-19

Mantispidae‘s latest album, The Difference between Heaven and Hell Is Just in Your Perception, is comprised of three songs of ambient, atmospheric drone/doom with stretched out guitars and drums. There are no real riffs in there, so to speak, but there are some tremolo-picked sections. Overall, it gives off a very ethereal and relaxing yet oppressing kind of sound. Rudra Bhakti is Drought‘s new black metal album. It takes lots of atmospheric and ambient influences, such as in the first track, and the rest is some very good dissonant black metal a bit on the raw side,… Read more

OSR: April 14th, 2016

by Dæv Tremblay

osr4-14

Do it.

Bog of the Infidel‘s Asleep in the Arms of Suicide is a traditional black metal album more on the melodic side of things and with a purposely raw production. It’s pretty good, even though it’s not personally my thing; I prefer when it comes to experimentation or unorthodox black metal.
The legendary prog rock act Frost* [fɹɑstæs·tərˌɪsk] will release their upcoming album, Falling Satellites on May 27th through InsideOut Music. Musically, it sounds like post-D’Virgilio Spock’s Beard, but they seem to like to go out a bit more with stylistic shifts. Jeff will write a full review… Read more

The Deathtrip – Deep Drone Master

by Lefteris Kefalas

the-deathtrip-deep-drone-master-cdThe first thing we realize upon setting foot in Deathtrip’s personal hell is that this album contains something reminiscent of the great black metal records of the 90s. Riff-wise and sound-wise, it definitely sounds up to date, but its primitiveness and immediacy surely recaptures some of the old magic of the genre’s origin.

After a brief intro, we are taken aback by the razor-sharp riffing of the ‘Flag of Betrayal’. Aldrahn’s performance is definitely a highlight (as is in every song), his versatility and charisma give him a primary role, driving the listener through his own uninhabited and inhospitable … Read more

Slice the Cake – Odyssey to the Gallows, an Analysis Of

by Dæv Tremblay

The release of the much-anticipated Odyssey to the West, from the progressive deathcore band Slice the Cake, has been somewhat obfuscated by some internal problems. I do not wish to delve into this, but rather write about the music itself, the lyrics, and the concept surrounding it all. Understand that I do not take any side there, but merely observe the fact that the music is out there for everyone to hear, and that I wish to express my opinions on it, as well as expose the underlying storyline. Today, I will cover the Gallows part. So without … Read more