The Noctambulant – Advocatus Diaboli (2016) – Floridian melodic black metallers The Noctambulant have been around since ’13 and have released an EP every year since that conception, but this is the first actual LP release by the band and their technical label debut. Though the drumming almost feels programmed in some areas (it just seems very digitized), frontman Eddie Helvete and guitarist John Hoarfrost seem to be capable of delivering quite passionate pieces here, not just in the realm of melody and guitar fluff, but in the atmosphere which can sometimes stray far from the black metal style that you might expect (“Evil Calling” comes to mind) as it works it’s way into something that can embody thrash metal, funeral doom and even more modern approaches. It definitely works for the band, which surprisingly hasn’t become super popular over an effort like this. Perhaps they just haven’t been discovered yet or choose to play it indie (less hassle that way, to be honest) as they are on a small label out of Michigan called Domestic Genocide with about sixteen bands to it’s credit. More than likely these guys just help out with distribution, which always helps. In any case, the listener is getting several different approaches on one record, which seems to switch gears with nearly every cut, almost stripping their black metal roots completely. This is another case where the Metal Archives genre-tag isn’t quite all there is to this can of beans. These have a bit more spice and flavor than similar melodic black metal beans that I’ve consumed, so the product is actually worth your money. These days I get so hung up in similarity from bands that it makes me leery of purchasing their discs and I no longer do that without hearing something from the album first – just ended up wasting too much damn money. Here, you are NOT getting that. Sure, they have familiar riffs and tremolos, but The Noctambulant are trying very hard to ascend past the familiar realms that we all associate with this type of genre. Melodic black metal is pretty common, but when you do something noteworthy with it, it just sticks – that’s the kind of album that you’re going to take notice of. You’re going to play it again and tell others about it via social media self-promotion. I’m sure that there are about a thousand ears not on this record that should be on it, and why that isn’t happening; I’m not quite sure. The band have nearly eight-thousand Facebook fans and an endorsement from ESP guitars, so hopefully this is the stepping point to getting them recognized – and one of these guys listed Nevermore’s “The River Dragon Has Come” as one of their influences, so I have to give them extra props for that. That track doesn’t get nearly as much respect as it should, same with “The Seven Tongues Of God.” In any case, I’m digging these guys (and I can definitely hear that Rockabilly influence in some of these cuts too, gentlemen) and I think you will too. This is what happens when you get a bunch of musicians together with different backgrounds to compose an album that comes out far different than anyone else expected. This isn’t a case of identity crisis – rather, it’s a case of a band truly discovering who they are.
(10 Tracks, 44:00)
9/10
Syndrome – Forever and A Day (2016) – Composed after several rounds of excessive touring, Matthieu Vanderkerckhove (Amenra, Kingdom, Sembler Death) locked himself up in a room in order to record this follow-up to 12’s Now and Forever. The disc evokes calm meditation and is perfect for bringing down the mood a bit, which is necessary after a frantic day’s work. It might even help you sleep. Subtle vocals are used mid-way, but these are nothing that I feel really hinder the performance, which is mostly ambience with some drone bits, a subtle bit of guitar melody just before the tipping point and an unexpected ending in what feels like harsh, industrial noise. I’m not really sure why he chose to end such a piece that way, but it’s probably not the last note you’d want to hear from some a tranquil recording as this one is. Though just one track, it has more than enough body within the soundscape to do the job and manages to do exactly as has been described on the Bandcamp page. Now and Forever might be the necessary break that a metalhead’s ears need every once in a while, so definitely pick it up if you’re looking for a dose of calm, contemplative serenity – and some weird noise near the end, but I’m not even focusing on that.
(1 Track, 34:00)
7/10
Black Anvil – As Was (2017) – I suppose I’m one of the oddballs in the metal scene that actually enjoyed this album. Looking on Metal Archives, I see that two people have trashed it, and a writer for “The Metal Observer” claims that “there were a lot of great ideas that weren’t fully realized.” Obviously, the average metalhead’s taste has gone down the tubes as of late, because this is exactly the kind of raw and forward-thinking sound that built this whole genre. I think the fact that there were even clean vocals on the record upset people. I think the fact that there were rock portions on the album actually upset people. They clearly wanted black metal, but then when the band offered it, they didn’t feel it was very good either. You just cannot fucking please today’s metalhead, because they want what they want and that’s all that they want. So yes, we have the tremolos and the scowls, the blasts and all that good stuff – it still resembles a black metal record. The only difference is that the band actually broke the mold a little and threw in elements of thrash, rock and possibly alternative, which was just too much of a change for people who I really hope do not only ascribe to one genre of music. Maybe it was Paul Delaney’s clean tone that upset people, as it did sound a bit youthful and maybe not the kind of more manly tone that metalheads would have wanted. I guess if we put the man on enough steroids to deepen his voice, people will care. No sir, you cannot sound like a wimp in heavy metal. You either go as high as Dickinson or swallow enough stones to make yourself sound like a rock golem. I will admit though, that there is such a post-rock influence to this album that it does sort of sound similar to the Astronoid stuff that people are also tearing apart. I feel like tens of thousands of metalheads are on the brink of suicide, as they look at these new bands and wonder why everyone sounds so wimpy and helpless these days. Funny thing is, Black Anvil are by no means a new act – but this does feel like it could be a push by the mainstream. Relapse has changed a little bit over the years, so you never really know what’s going down anymore – but I do say that this kind of thing seems to be the beginning of metal’s new, awkward direction. But I guess we won’t know until Paradise Lost makes a new album and verifies it. (Laughs) In any case, at least “Nothing” features the best guitar solo that these guys will ever achieve and I guess I can be thankful for that. On my third listen, I think I agree with the Metal Observer on this one and very much feel that perhaps some of these unique elements could be mixed into the icky soup of black metal mayhem just a bit better. Maybe with the next one they’ll get a chance to do that. But it doesn’t matter, because they’ve already lost a couple of thousand fans after this one, unfortunately. There are seven billion people in the world though, so maybe they just need to get some Chinese ears on it and they’ll be all set.
(8 Tracks, 51:00)
7/10
Kreator – Gods Of Violence (2017) – The fourteenth album from these German thrash legends, Gods Of Violence is a staggering effort that feels among their best. It’s certainly better than the new Metallica album was and shows what real thrash metal is supposed to sound like – because the groove stuff wasn’t cutting it. In any case, there are indeed some grooves and modernisms here, I won’t lie – but the record contains a fair amount of substance that will keep listeners glued and coming back for many years to come. Strong melodies, potent chorus lines and experimental nodes within structure are all what make this album what it is. In “World War Now” we hear a hint of tremolo picking, and there are definitely some melodic death metal elements to be within the chug of “Satan Is Real” not to mention one of those good old guitar solos that we’d expect from this genre. The formula continues just the same, delivering one after another of cold hard hits with no real filler to be discerned. I don’t think you’re going to have a band day with this album folks, and it might be one of the best thrash discs that we’re going to get this year. Oddly enough, there’s almost a bit of chugging power metal influence to be found here too, which might be why it appeals so much to me. The reviews for this record are quite numerous on Metal Archives, most of them being positive, aside from some troll who called it “safe space metal” (I don’t see why they allow reviews like that, honestly – they’re just jokes) and despite the huge influx of melody offered on this record, very few complaints have been offered. I think it’s a very solid disc, but maybe not as aggressive in some areas as one would like – hence, there are other bands for that sort of thing and maybe we should just let Kreator make the kind of music that they want to make. As far as I’m concerned, they’re doing a great job with this one and are soaring far above their peers. Gods Of Violence definitely isn’t a safe space.
(11 Tracks, 52:00)
8/10