Mini Reviews From Around The Bowl – 09/05/24
Reviews for Entropy, Fleshgod Apocalypse, High Parasite, Eldamar, and Black Birch
Here’s a pile of reviews from the internet’s sweetheart.
Entropy – Dharmakāya
Crazysane Records |August 30, 2024
I’ve been singing the praises of Germany’s Entropy for a long time. Call it what you want: grunge, alt rock, college rock, post-rock. It doesn’t matter what you call then, because no genre label will truly be able to capture just how good Entropy sounds. Classic names like Helmet, Jawbox, and Texas Is The Reason dance in your head as Dharmakāya swirls with energetic, guitar-driven force. Every song sounds like it should be coming out of the crackly speakers of a 1996 Chevy Cavalier. You can’t help but nod and bop along to tunes like “Americans Will Save You (In The End)”, “King of Rain” and “Gap-Toothed”. This would have been a classic if it was released 30 years ago, but that just means we can make it a classic now. Dharmakāya is a timeless record that deserves to be heard. Do yourself a favor and listen to it right now.
Black Birch – Black Birch
Tnor, Fiadh Productions & Blastbeat Vinyl | August 23, 2024
I admit, I’m not much of a black metal expert. I wouldn’t even call myself a fan. I don’t know the differences between waves and don’t much care to learn. Sure, there’s some stuff out there I like, but it’s more because of the band themselves than the genre. That’s what makes Sweden’s two-piece Black Birch so impressive. The antifascist black metallers provide Hellish primal screams, razor-sharp riffs, and endless drums that cut through the listener like a chainsaw through a rotten tree. Each song is like wooden shrapnel, once so full of life, now a dead, empty shell being cut to the core and tearing into anything in range. There’s enough variety throughout the lengthy album to keep new and old genre listeners engaged while never falling into modern musical trends or clichés. This is a debut well-worth your attention.
Fleshgod Apocalypse – Opera
Nuclear Blast Records | August 23, 2024
Epic is an overused word, not just in music, but in society. Meals, clothes, movies. Whatever. It’s lost a lot of meaning, much like the word awesome. Can anything truly be “epic” when everything is “epic”? Yes, yes it can, because Fleshgod Apocalypse’s Opera is genuinely epic. There’s so much going on in each song and yet, somehow, it’s all cohesive. The biggest kiss of death when it comes to symphonic metal is the desire to go too big, too fast, for too long. On Opera, there is no riff wasted, not growl overdone, no operatic melody forced. It is an album that simultaneously ferocious and exquisite, theatrical yet practical. Every member is at the top of their game and has ample opportunity to shine. Put on your frilliest shirt and coattails, it’s time to go to the Opera.
Eldamar – Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation
Northern Silence Productions | September 6, 2024
Eldamar’s previous albums The Force Of The Ancient Land and A Dark Forgotten Past get a lot of play from me. The one-man band has an innate and impressive ability to create atmospheric black metal that is both expansive and touching. Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation continues that trend, creating a lush musical word perfect for getting lost in the woods or for wandering through fjords. Though the sound has evolved since those earlier albums with some heavier moments, the raw beauty and those keys remain. Each song is like an emotional adventure through a Tolkien-esque land full of mystery, danger, and wonder. Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation is an engaging and rewarding listen from start to finish. Play it during your next D&D campaign or hike through the forest.
High Parasite – Forever We Burn
Candlelight Records | September 27th, 2024
Forever We Burn evokes memories of the mid-to-late 90’s goth rock/metal of bands like Paradise Lost, Theatre Of Tragedy, and Tapping The Vein, and I am here for it. High Parasite mixes death metal and pop goth sensibilities, reinvigorating a sound that I thought had gone the way of The Craft and MTV’s 120 minutes. My Dying Bride‘s Aaron Stainthorpe brings his iconic voice to a more forceful, metal-centric sound that fits like a delicate hand in a black glove. Guitars wail, drums push, clean and harsh vocals swirl, and little melodic flourishes create an album that, as the kids say, is a mood. Forever We Burn is dark, heavy, aggressive and, yet, incredibly catchy. Break out the clove cigarettes and stompy boots for this one.
