Mini Reviews From Around The Bowl: 9/30/24
Reviews for Leila Abdul-Rauf, Annular, Squint, Woundflower, and Outer Graves
Annular – Thanatophobia
Independent | August 9, 2024
More black metal that doesn’t fit neatly into any sub-category; I would probably put the “melodic” and “progressive” tags up for consideration rather than the “atmospheric” one on the Bandcamp page. Maybe that’s a holdover from the (already great) debut. Leaps and bounds have been made since then, and while aggression is now more front and center, impressive instrumental and compositional skills allow songs to turn on a dime and delve deeply into wistful territory without ever quite losing their vitriol. The production could be a point of contention, as vocals sit flush with the guitars in the mix while the drums can be a tad overbearing, but with songs this good, my only real complaint is that there’s so few of them. Here’s hoping that more is in store. –Hans
Woundflower – Misery
Independent | August 23, 2024
Damn. No sooner do I mention Bled to Submission on here than the band spontaneously combusts. That’s bad if sludgey grindcore with noise elements is, like, your favorite thing, and you’ve found that for some reason, Full of Hell just never get it quite right (unless they happen to team up with The Body). Luckily, members of Bled to Submission have swiftly reassembled themselves to form Woundflower, and they’re still doing that thing they do that is good, but different this time. The emphasis has moved away from sludge and much more toward straightforward grind and powerviolence, so instead of being dragged over broken glass, you’re getting shanked with it. The noise components have also been dialed back a bit, so they’re not twisting the shiv in the wound quite as much as I’d liked, but it’s still abrasive enough to stand out from the pack, and the overall experience is adequately miserable. –Hans
Outer Graves – Terminal Limit
Independent | September 20, 2024
Milwaukee-based death metal act Outer Graves is a recent addition to the time-honored tradition of cosmic-themed metal albums. Terminal Limit, the band’s debut full-length, finds a sharp sound dominated by a particularly ripping guitar performance. These riffs, emboldened by a satisfying HM-2 guitar tone, are technical and vicious. The blackened vocal styling is similarly ferocious, fitting the album’s not-so-groundbreaking themes of astronauts being gored by extraterrestrial beasts (why fuck with the classics?). These elements make up a large amount of the flavor, as they are more prevalent in the mix and overcrowd the bass and (especially) drum sections. I’d like to appreciate them further, as the rhythm section is quality as well. Take this as constructive criticism, as the group ultimately brings together a strong voice and tackles some decently ambitious songcraft – the kind that’d make our alien overlords proud. – Sean Ghoulson
Leila Abdul-Rauf – Calls From A Seething Edge
Cyclic Law and Syrup Moose Records | October 11th, 2024
Leila Abdul-Rauf’s Calls From A Seething Edge is haunted. I don’t mean in the usual ghosts and ghouls sort of way. There’s a deep, dark, torment that bleeds from the first note to the last in this avant-garde treasure. As a member of Vastum and former member of Hammers of Misfortune, Leila certainly has the “metal” pedigree, but it’s the ambient, cerebral moments of Calls From A Seething Edge that bore into your mind, your heart, and your soul. Supremely talented, Leila handles all vocals, trumpet, synth, drums, beats, strings and recording duties. Touches of folk and industrial dot the dreamlike aural landscape, punctuated by a number of guest appearances. If you’ve ever sat on a train and stared solemnly out the window as the world passes you by, you know what this album feels like. Something you see for just a second, barely a blur, can mean the everything to someone else. Think about it too long, embrace it, absorb it, and it will consume you. Just like Calls From A Seething Edge. – 365 Days Of Horror
Squint – Big Hand
Sunday Drive Records | October 25, 2024
Officially, the album title refers to the hand of a clock, but really, Squint use their big hands to throw big hooks, crafting catchy choruses and melodies in post-hardcore compositions that mingle joy and hope with 90s alt-rock ennui. From that era, they also borrow a penchant for jangly guitar melodies sitting on solid walls of distortion like colorful graffiti. Meanwhile, the screaming vocals uphold a bridge to classic hardcore, possibly providing enough grit to sneak this past gatekeepers who still consider “pop” a dirty word (it’s me, I needed sneaking past). If you found the new Entropy album a bit too tame but wouldn’t mind the Cancer Bats dialing it down a few after listening to too much Pixies, try this. “Sunshine” is my favorite track and will tell you most of what you need to know. Speaking of sunshine, I’m jealous of folks in the southern hemisphere who get to enjoy this all throughout summer. –Hans
