{"id":56946,"date":"2016-10-13T15:00:19","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T20:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.toiletovhell.com\/?p=56946"},"modified":"2016-10-13T15:24:33","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T20:24:33","slug":"mini-reviews-from-around-the-bowl-10122016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/mini-reviews-from-around-the-bowl-10122016\/","title":{"rendered":"Mini-Reviews from Around the Bowl: 10\/12\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"
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No matter how long I’m away, the small things come back to haunt me. We briefly dissect\u00a0Writing in the Skies<\/strong>, Adaestuo<\/strong>,\u00a0\u0421\u0442\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0421,\u00a0<\/strong>Watchtower<\/strong>, Epica<\/strong>, Thy Catafalque,<\/strong> Fractal Cypher\u00a0<\/strong>and The Fading<\/strong>.
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<\/a><\/strong>Writing in the Skies<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Metamorphose<\/em><\/span><\/a>
\nIndependent<\/strong>\u00a0| November 18th, 2016<\/p>\n

Looking to bulk up your library with some more instrumental progressive music? I know that\u2019s a hard no for many of you, but here me out. These guys from Holyoke, MA put together a pretty solid album that’s worth a listen or two. A few of my favorite moments: \u201cShimmer\u201d uses a squeaky guitar tone that overlays an acoustic riff that reminds me of newer Steven Wilson<\/strong> material, which is always good at evoking an emotional response. \u201cFloodgates\u201d has a super weird last minute with a short and silly interlude that leads into a crushing finale. They use just enough changes in rhythm, intensity, and mood throughout the album to keep me interested, but still have a recognizable sound. All in all, next time I go to a show in the Boston area, I hope I catch these guys as the local opener on the bill<\/span>. —\u00a0<\/strong>Joaquin Stick.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>Adaestuo<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Tacent Semitae<\/em><\/span>
\nW.T.C Productions<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0| November 11th, 2016<\/p>\n

World Terror Committee are one of the few labels that I can confidently\u00a0entrust with my scant time; regardless of whether I’m familiar with the band\u00a0they’re promoting or not, it’s always worth a cursory listen. So of course when I saw the\u00a0debut EP from the previously unheard of trio Adaestuo<\/strong> arrive and beckon me with but a single crooked phalange, I complied immediately. What emerged from the other side of the play button<\/del> portal was a nightmarish 2o minutes of haunting black metal. These four tracks find Adaestuo evoking the ghastly atmosphere of bands such as Akhlys<\/strong> and Emperor<\/strong>, combining it with the spectral riffing of Nightbringer<\/strong>, and stirring the charred cauldron with vigour until a swirling central vortex forms, into which vocalist Hekte Zaren howls her arcane incantations, conjuring a\u00a0unique and otherwordly dreamscape. If you’ve been sleeping too well lately (fuck you)\u00a0Tacent Semitae<\/em>\u00a0is just the tempestuous succubus you need to fuck that right up. (Check out the third track “Destroyer of Constellations<\/a>“)\u00a0— Lacertilian.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u0421\u0442\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0421<\/strong> –\u00a0Damned<\/em><\/a>
\nIndependent<\/strong>\u00a0(Depression Illusions Records)<\/strong> | October 13th, 2016<\/p>\n

You want riffs? These Russian nuts bring the riffs!\u00a0Damned<\/em>, originally released as a limited cassette in 2012, just received the Bandcamp reissue treatment, much to the delight of old-school freaks everywhere.\u00a0\u0421\u0442\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0421\u00a0<\/strong>(Russian for Status) plays deliciously necro metal, yet their initially regressive sound is just a facade for some devilish intrigue lurking beneath the surface. Nominally death metal,\u00a0\u0421\u0442\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0421 aren’t afraid to inject trace elements of second-wave black metal and European thrash into the formula, showing off a greater taste for chaos and violence more in the vein of chaotic classics like\u00a0Kreator<\/strong> and\u00a0Sodom<\/strong> than bands of the Floridian school. The rhythm section hits with a decidedly early nineties warmth and stomp, but the real stars here are the ghastly, even discordant vocals that sneer above the barbarous, slightly melodic riffs. If you like divebombs and big booming chords with a garnish of bile, you need to revisit this forgotten classic. —\u00a0W.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>Watchtower<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Concepts of Math: Book One\u00a0<\/em>
\nProsthetic Records<\/b><\/a>\u00a0| October 7th, 2016<\/p>\n

I had no clue there was new Watchtower<\/strong> in the works. NONE. This is the first release containing new material since 1989\u2019s Control and Resistance<\/em> and this nerd, for one, was greatly excited. You may know guitarist Ron Jarzombek<\/strong> because he\u2019s RON JARZOMBEK, and the remaining members of the classic Watchtower lineup are no slouches either if. It\u2019s all here yet again: progressive-tinged thrash that stands out from the competition as soon as you hear the unique guitar tone and passionately delivered vocals. These five new tracks left me wanting more, get Concepts of Math: Book One<\/em> here<\/a>.\u00a0— Moshito.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>Epica<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 The Holographic Principle<\/em><\/a>
\nNuclear Blast Records<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0| September 30th, 2016<\/p>\n

Epica<\/strong> return after releasing one of my favorite albums of 2014, The Quantum Enigma<\/em>, and are back with a follow up that is sure to please anyone who enjoyed the original. The Holographic Principle<\/em> is, yet again, full of bombastic orchestration mixed with mostly modern metal riffing; I found myself particularly enjoying the Symphonic Nu (TM) stylings of \u201cA Phantasmic Parade\u201d. You read that correctly. If choirs and strings intertwined with downtuned distortion is something that sounds appealing to you, get on this, because the album is deftly written and sounds amazing. Grab it here<\/a>. — Moshito.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>Thy Catafalque<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Meta<\/em><\/a>
\nSeason of Mist<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0| September 16th, 2016<\/p>\n

My quest into the avant-garde has led me to a band I\u2019d never heard of in my life, one-man folk-inspired and all-around weird project Thy Catafalque<\/strong>. Drawing from a lot of different genres is something hard to pull off, but this man does it in a way that\u2019s really overwhelming. The mix is brimming with induced distortion and saturation which lends the album\u2019s louder moments with an air of uncomfortableness I\u2019m pretty fond of. Both male and female vocals soar and growl above the guitars and occasional strings, that contrast well with more subdued acoustic passages that transport one to meadows and streams with the surrounding samples. Check it out here<\/a>. — Moshito.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"fractal-cypher\"<\/a>Fractal Cypher<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>The Human Paradox<\/em><\/a>
\nIndependen<\/strong>t | September 7th, 2016<\/p>\n

I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that anything that could aptly be described as both “djent” and “power-prog” would be abomination of the eyes of God, man, Satan, Gaia, or anyone with ears, but hear me out on this one.\u00a0The Human Paradox<\/em> opens up with an intense battle between synth and guitar that goes beyond simple theatrics and carries into the riffs themselves. You’ll hear plenty of them, too, playing with driving melodies and complex rhythms in equal measure. The vocals have a lot more grit than you might expect, taking the greatest influence from the “power” portion of their multifaceted genre description and even throwing some solid harsh screams in there.\u00a0Fractal Cypher<\/strong> have a lot to offer, and even with a couple cheesy ballads, it’s an offer that’s hard to refuse. — <\/strong>Spear.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>The Fading<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Till Life Do Us Part<\/em><\/a>
\nIndependent<\/strong>\u00a0| December 28th, 2015<\/p>\n

Israeli thrashy melodeath? Yes please. There\u2019s a lot of stock and standard stuff here from a few genres mashed together, fast riffs, melodeath catchiness, aggressively barked vocals, and it all works well. The production is solid; everything is clear and nothing is distracting. My only complaint, besides the super generic band name and bad album title, is the fact that they only use clean vocals in one song, and even then, only in the chorus. In fact, I started writing this mini-review after the second song because I was hoping to talk about how much I liked the clean backing vocals, but then they never showed up again. All in all, it\u2019s still a solid album, but if you want to hear one kickass song, check out \u201cA Moment of Insight\u201d<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>—\u00a0<\/strong>Joaquin Stick<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No matter how long I’m away, the small things come back to haunt me. We briefly dissect\u00a0Writing in the Skies, Adaestuo,\u00a0\u0421\u0442\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0421,\u00a0Watchtower, Epica, Thy Catafalque, Fractal Cypher\u00a0and The Fading.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":56968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"Loogit all these lil reviews of Writing in the Skies, Adaestuo, \u0421\u0442\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0421, Watchtower, Epica, Thy Catafalque, Fractal Cypher, and The Fading","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[70],"tags":[8828,3135,8825,305,1330,1170,8829,8824,3722,8826],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/maxresdefault.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56946"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}