This Toilet Tuesday (4/24/18)
Welcome to This Toilet Tuesday! Our resident Finnish bear took point this week, walking into my office and vomiting a pile of reviews on my desk before leaving wordlessly [Ed. – It was actually vomit. The reviews were scribbled on chunks of paper that were now soaked in salmon guts and wood chips and fur. It took our custodial staff three hours to clean up.]. I chipped in a couple myself as well; this is all around a pretty good week, with a couple of standout albums that rise above the usual fare. Check these out and give us your own recommendations in the comments.
Wormlight – Wrath of the Wilds (Black Lion Records) [Black Metal]
Listen
Wormlight is a Swedish meloblack band that I have been told garnered with their Bloodfields EP a couple years back, but that I’ve completely missed. So I’m walking into Wrath of The Wilds expecting an hour-long trip filled with saccharine goodness. As expected, the ample lead guitars are the crowning achievement of the record, unfortunately being offered betwixt Marduk-ian power chord riffs, and an unrelenting, constant pace, often more cold than sweet. While the tempo does drop below-blast often enough, Wormlight barely takes advantage of the moments and only applies their finest leadwork to blast happier moments. Leaving “On Tattered Wings” and the ultimate “Feast of The Mountain Kin” as definite highlights, the only songs lacking a couple minutes worth of throwaway riffs to trudge through. Yet by no means is Wrath of The Wilds as bad as that may sound – it’s a clean sounding, easy-to-listen, modern black metal album with an emphasis on melody. It’s hardly one for the ages, but a name to take note of. 4/25/18 (Karhu)
Varathron – Patriarchs of Evil (Agonia Records) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Ouroboros Dweller”
The Greek masters, Varathron, have once more returned to the fray – Patriarchs of Evil celebrating 30 years of existence, supposedly not only elaborating on its predecessor, but also reviving memories from a distant past. The one-two punch of “Tenebrous” and “Into The Absurd” do evoke aeons old feel of His Majesty At The Swamp, even if much updated, with slithering riffs, faintly used keyboards to accent, and the compelling groove that has not always been present in Varathron’s later work. They seem to be taking the “reliving the memories” part rather literally, as the soon steer towards a more traditionally old school style, reminiscent of Crowsreign, but a more atmospheric direction, lacking the abundance of keys. Patriarchs‘ first half is the most fun I’ve had with Varathron in a decade or so, but even when the band rises from the halfway slog of “Remnants of The Dark Testament” they never reach the same heights again, and close poorly with “Ouroboros Dweller” stagnating around the same riff for a good seven minutes. Nevertheless, when it jams, it jams hard. 4/27/18 (Karhu)
Pharaoh Overlord – Zero (Ektro Records) [Experimental Doom]
Listen to “Meanwhile”
Have you ever wondered if you had Circle, but instead of being the cult band that inspired millions (shut up) they’d play doom metal but it would be as eccentric and only kinda vaguely metal-ish as Circle, and you’d have Antti Boman of Demilich burp over it? Me neither. But Lehtisalo and Westerlund have. 4/27/18 (Karhu)
Aura Noir – Aura Noire (Indie Recordings) [Black Thrash]
Listen to “Dark Lung of the Storm”
Another stalwart returns to the game, and not one I realistically expected to record again. Aura Noir have been at the black/thrash game since ’93 and without a line-up change. Although by now Aggressor may be as known (and ’round these parts more so) and Czral of Virus. Unfortunately. Because Aura Noire sounds like it reads, an “artistic” version of themselves. Roughly half of the tracks here sound like guys who’d rather play weird riffs in Virus try and play thrashy and blackish metal, rather than an expression of genuine aggression. Which doesn’t have to be a qualitative statement, it could work (I’d like to think it could) but mostly the songs are more interesting than good. While the few tracks with more suction thrive on far more generic riffing, that compares poorly to the more inspired writing, the only elevating feature being the scarce moments Apollyon takes the mic. I want to like this for the more off-kilter moments, but the execution is so lukewarm this’ll have to be a hard pass. 4/27/18 (Karhu)
Totalselfhatred – Solitude (Osmose Productions) [DSBM]
Listen
Last year Korgonthurus broke up in a spat of rage, only to reform as a studio-only two piece a mere while later. This move also saw Saturnus and Necron tell Corvus to shove it and continue as Totalselfhatred without him. The latter is now the first to make their comeback a material reality. Solitude MMXII avoids most of the usual DSBM pits by injecting tempo changes, switching between sorrow and anger at will, adding acoustic arrangements and bountiful use of piano instead of mere landscape painting with buzzing guitars and distant howls. If you’re only gonna give one DSBM record the time o’ day this year, let it be Solitude MMXII. 4/27/18 (Karhu)
Drakkar – Cold Winter’s Night (My Kingdom Music) [Power Metal]
Listen to “Cold Winter’s Night”
Power metal bands: if you’re going to have your press release end with comparisons to Blind Guardian and Helloween, you’d better not start your album off with a tepid-ass ballad, and you’d definitely better not make that ballad the title track of your album. That’s two strikes already, Drakkar, and we’re barely two minutes into the album. Fortunately, “Black Sails” and “Leviathan Rising” provide some solid riffy headbangers and sweet shreds, making this into an overall decent listen. You could certainly do worse if you’re looking for a quick power metal romp. 4/27/18 (Spear)
Gatekeeper – East of Sun (Cruz Del Sur) [Heavy Metal]
Stream
…OR you could just say “fuck it” and listen to this ridiculously good heavy metal record from Gatekeeper. East of Sun starts full throttle with “Blade of Cimmeria” and doesn’t falter once the whole way through. This is the rollicking fun of Visigoth combined with the raw might of Eternal Champion (with whom they did a split a couple years back), and it’s just as glorious as that sounds. Don’t sleep on this one. 4/27/18 (Spear)
Aetranok – Kingdoms of the Black Sepulcher (Symbol of Domination) [Black/Death Metal]
Listen to “Signum Eios Barathrum”
Alight – Spiral of Silence (El Puerto Records) [Gothic Metal]
Listen to “The Portal”
Blitzkrieg – Judge Not! (Target Group) [Heavy Metal]
Blood Tsunami – Grave Condition (Soulseller Records) [Thrash]
Listen
Boss Keloid – Melted on the Inch (Holy Roar Records) [Sludge/Doom]
Listen
Cardiac Arrest – A Parallel Dimension of Despair (Memento Mori Records) [Death Metal]
Listen to “It Takes Form”
Circle of Silence – The Crimson Throne (Massacre Records) [Power Metal]
Listen to “The Crimson Throne”
Cruachan – Nine Years of Blood (Trollzorn Records) [Folk Metal]
Listen to “The Harp, The Lion, The Dragon, and The Sword”
Cruentis – Alpha and Omega (Nosral Recordings) [Progressive Death Metal]
Listen to “Alpha & Omega”
Crystal Ball – Crystallizer (Massacre Records) [Power Metal]
Listen to “SOS,” “Alive for Evermore”
Daemonheim – Widerwelt (Naturmacht Productions) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Siechtum”
Deiquisitor – Downfall of the Apostates (Dark Descent Records) [Death Metal]
Listen
Forty Shades – Blackstar Diamond (Recordjet/Soulfood) [Top Hat]
Listen to “God and the Idol”
Funerary Descent – Ov Chasms Beyond (Folkvangr Records) [Black Doom]
Listen to “It Crawls in the Venomous Hollow”
Goat Worship – Shore of the Dead (Xtreem Music) [Black Thrash]
Listen to “The Blood Countess”
Golgatha – The Ascendant (Independent) [Prog Metal]
Listen
Grá – Väsen (Carnal Records) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Krig”
Graveyard – Back to the Mausoleum (War Anthem Records) [Death Metal]
Stream
Green Desert Water Solar Plexus (Small Stone) [Rawk]
Listen to “Open Your Wings”
Greydon Fields – Tunguska (Roll the Bones Records) [Thrash]
Listen to “Autophobia”
Ingested – The Level Above Human (Unique Leader Records) [Brutal Death/Core]
Listen
Insano Vision – Fossils From the Future (Independent) [Doom]
Listen
Kobra and the Lotus – Prevail II (Napalm Records) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Losing My Humanity,” “Let Me Love You”
Krull – The Black Coast (Iron Shield Records) [Heavy Metal]
Lie in Ruins – Demise (Dark Descent Records) [Death Metal]
Stream
Mortuorial Eclipse – Urushdaur (Ishtar Gate Productions) [Symphonic Black Metal]
Mortuus Sum – Into the Abyss (The Final Descent) (Mercyful Hell Productions) [Black Metal]
Stream
Northern – Desolate Ways to Ultima Thule (Moribund Records) [Black Metal]
Listen
Necroexophilia – Intergalactic Armageddon (CDN Records) [Hoover Slam]
Listen to “Hyperspace Homicide”
Pact – Enigmata (Moribund Records) [Black/Death Metal]
Listen
Pánico al Miedo – Formador (Symbol of Domination) [Thrash]
Listen to “Rompe El Cepo”
Perpetual Night – Anâtman (Wormholedeath) [Melodeath]
Listen to “Anâtman”
Petrification – Hollow of the Void (Sentient Ruin) [Death Metal]
Listen
Plagis – Abysswalker (Independent) [Black Metal]
Stream
Pripjat – Chain Reaction (NoiseArt Records) [Thrash]
Listen to “Survival of the Sickest”
Raw Decimating Brutality – Era Matarruana (Vomit Your Shirt) [Grindy Death Metal]
Listen to “As Forças Ocultas dos Cromeleques”
Retch – Anathema (Obliteration Records) [Black/Death Metal]
Listen
Riot V – Armor of Light (Nuclear Blast Records) [Speed Metal]
Listen to “Victory,” “Heart of a Lion,” “Messiah”
Schrat – Alptraumgänger (Folter Records) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Alptraumgänger”
Shrine of the Serpent – Entropic Disillusion (Memento Mori Records) [Death/Doom]
Listen to “Hope’s Aspersion”
Society’s Plague – Call to the Void (Eclipse Records) [Melodeath]
Listen to “Broken By Design,” “Ashes for Air”
Spitefuel – Dreamworld Collapse (MDD Records) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Brick by Brick”
Stormzone – Lucifer’s Factory (Metal Nation Records) [Heavy/Power Metal]
Listen to “Dark Hedges”
Thrashist Regime – Carnival of Monsters (Fat Hippy Records) [Thrash]
Listen to “Headshot”
Tomorrow’s Eve – Mirror of Creation III – Project Ikaros (Dr. Music Records) [Prog Metal]
Listen to “Dream Within a Dream”
Toundra – Vortex (InsideOut Music) [Sludge/Post-Metal]
Listen to “Cobra”
Traitor – Knee-Deep in the Dead (Violent Creek Records) [Thrash]
Listen to “Knee-Deep in the Dead”
Trees, Clouds & Silence – Let Me Die on Your Roots (The Moon on a String) [Atmospheric/Post-Black Metal]
Stream
Vahrzaw – Husk (Blood Harvest) [Death Metal]
Stream
Veratrum – Visioni (Independent) [Symphonic Blackened Death]
Listen to “L’Alchimista”
Voices – Frightened (Spinefarm Records) [Prog Metal]
Very helpful preview
Voight Kampff – Substance rêve (Sliptrick Records) [Blade Runner Thrash]
Preview
Wicked Witch – Wicked Witch of Boston (Century Music) [Heavy Metal]
Wolf King – Loyal to the Soil (Prosthetic Records) [Hardcore]
Stream
Review
Wrathrone – Reflections of Torment (Satanath Records) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Bloodshroud”
Did we forget a new release? Is there a way we could improve this list? Let us know in the comments below!
(VIA, VIA, VIA, VIA, VIA, VIA)
