Mephorash – Shem Ha Mephorash (2019) – Having loved the band’s prior recording, you know for a fact that I jumped on this one. I didn’t think I’d be reviewing it just a few days around release though, but at least I’ve got one ready for them. Unfortunately, I don’t find this recording to be nearly as memorable as their last, but it is still good in it’s own right. Black metal is under fire after all, so we’ve got to appreciate it where we can get it. These gentlemen had better be careful too, because all they have to do is accidentally shake hands with someone who might be a supremacist and then MetalSucks will be trying to ban them as well. “Did you see those guys, Mephorash! They might have shaken hands with a guy at a show who held supremacist views ten years ago, so we’ve got to ban them from playing!” Yes, folks – this is where we are right now. My god, I’m probably even a rebel for covering a black metal band these days. Thankfully, it’s a good one. The album begins with “King Of Kings, Lord Of Lords” and it’s unexpected dose of atmosphere. There are some notable gurgles in the beginning as Satan is praised along with some rather frightening riff melodies and hefty synths. As always, the vocal approach is passionate and doesn’t feel phoned in. There’s nothing about these guys that sounds trendy, but there are definitely notable influences stuffed into the mix. One could call to mind SepticFlesh and possibly even Behemoth this time around, but Mephorash certainly does their own thing within these styles. Especially when it sounds like the frontman is coughing up his guts, something we don’t get to hear quite often in this music. To be honest, he does sound like he’s coughing something up and I can’t say in all my years of metal music review that I’ve ever heard an artist literally coughing and gagging on the microphone. Even if this is just a performance piece, it fits. “Chant Of Golgotha” comes in with powerful lead melodies and a synth background that lends well to it’s doom-influenced plodding. The darker vocal approach seems to work well here also. That doesn’t last long though, as the piece gives way to blast beats which in my opinion kind of kills the mood. The vocal performance is still killer, but I really liked the slower approach in the beginning of the song. It felt different, which is what black metal needs right now as there are just so many bands making it in the underground areas which MetalSucks has yet to touch and we’re hearing far too many similarities. To their credit however, at least the mood changes to that of tribal theatrics and childlike chants. I honestly feel like the performance is mimicking a horror movie soundtrack at this point, which would make this track a great single for a music video. It really seems like Mephorash played up the horror factor on this one, I think they were trying to frighten religious people. Not sure if that works anymore, but I’m sure a couple of people might shirk away from it. Of course, the only problem with making “Chant Of Golgotha” a video single is that it would roll right into “Epitome I: Bottomless Infinite” even though there’s always the option of melding the two together so that around the time the guitar is brought in on this track, the video would cut off. No one would really be the wiser in that respect, especially if they haven’t heard the band nor the album before. Again, I certainly have to praise these guys for putting the dark and evil into black metal. It really feels like they focused on creating the most frightening tremolos that they could muster and that works for this album; which has a cover that doesn’t seem nearly as frightening as it should be. Midway into “Epitome I” we see a slight pause for atmosphere as thunderous synths and blasts are utilized. These guys don’t overdo the blasts, more or less making them a sort of explosive moment within the album. The disc will thrive on atmosphere until it blasts into metal, which I’ve noticed for most of the experience. Towards the end of this one, it sounds like young girls are welcoming the arrival of a demon lord, while our passionate frontman sounds a veritable clarion call. If that doesn’t get this demon lord interested, then nothing will. “Sanguinem” merely continues this admittedly creepy notion, though it adds some very tasty leads, which I’m extremely thankful for. Just because you’re welcoming in death and destruction doesn’t mean that good melodies have to be sacrificed in the process. The piano joins for a bit as well, reminding me a bit of the classic Doom soundtrack. Though I get that this is a vocal song, it’s there that I wish the piece could have just been an instrumental and jumped right into a solo. There is a chorus in this song however, which I won’t completely throw out – but vocals come into the mix at nearly the midpoint of the song and by then it feels like the impact is lost. However, the female vocal section is introduced and lends way to a magnificent atmosphere. It just felt like they added too much at one time, which make the record feel just a bit more pretentious than it should be.
Another issue that I find with the record is that is becomes a bit droning after a while. We didn’t really need the second Epitome and then you have “Relics Of Elohim” which didn’t do much for me at all and “777 Third Woe” which is a just a tad bit more traditional black metal. It’s at this point that I feel I’d heard all I needed to from the album with the exception of it’s no-holds-barred title track which ends the performance on a strong note. I’ve listened to the album a few times through before I wrote this review and I still feel about the same. Eight songs is a fair amount, but I feel that maybe dragging them out for as much as they did wasn’t such a wise idea. Honestly, after everything that was crammed into “Sanguinem” I just don’t see how they could have gone much further with the mood they were aiming for. Don’t get me wrong, because I definitely enjoy parts of this album but not nearly as much as their last. Mephorash have an amazing frontman and they certainly care about creating a convincing atmosphere, but I would daresay far more than a cohesive record. I love the record for the soundscapes entwined within, but it’s just a bit much otherwise. If you’re the kind of person who really likes to soak into terrifying atmospheres, then you will find this one more than just appealing; but I think it might be a good idea to dial down a bit on the atmosphere and show off a bit more of the tasteful playing I heard in areas of the album. It feels like their guitarist is getting seriously neglected here and he certainly doesn’t deserve it. I personally don’t recall even hearing one guitar solo even though there were definitely places where riffs could have evolved in that fashion. Shem Ha Mephorash is still worth picking up, but I’d definitely recommend the previous record over it.
(8 Tracks, 74:00)
8.5/10
Victoria De Mare – HashTagTwat (2018) – Actress/Singer Victoria De Mare contacted me about reviewing her latest album and I must say that I’m a bit surprised by the amount of music offered here. The disc opens on a rather sappy pop cut called “Dreams” which works well enough for modern radio and has a catchy chorus. “I” continues that into what I would consider a nineties pop feeling, that while is not necessarily my cup of tea; shows a definite improvement in her vocal work since the previous recording. This one definitely works for me and I’m glad to see there’s a good mix of vulgarity laden within, which you wouldn’t expect for the tone of the material in the beginning. “It’s Me” is definitely one of those cuts, where nineties pop/rock flows into slight electronica and even features a bit of a harsh vocal. Yes, you heard me right. I was caught off guard, but that was nothing compared to what I discovered further into the album. The next track, “Die Die” is actually a weird mixture of vocal effects, hard-driving down tuned riffs and harsh vocals. I definitely would have liked to hear a full band on this one, but the effect was driven home. “Flip Side” comes next, but it’s not my favorite track by any means. The piece has a electronic dance feel, which is decent enough but just didn’t do much for me. I will say that it leans a great deal on it’s chorus, which might be a bit of a downfall in that respect. After that, we come to my favorite track on this disc, which is “Raw.” It mixes alternative pop/rock with driving metal influence in a way that I would find to be a bit more untamed than the polish of current In This Moment. The song might start out rather saccharine but soon pushes right through the wall with a sort of unexpected brutality. “Bang That” really has me lost, and I’m afraid that I don’t understand it at all. It’s a silly song but doesn’t really seem to do anything for me. The more I listen, the more annoyed I am by it; so we’re moving to the next piece. “Make Me High” is another sappy little pop tune, but she seems to be rather fond of this approach and certainly communicates it well. I can’t find any fault with that. “Melting” is a bit closer to my interests however, as it contains a much deeper sense of passion and nearly touches on darkwave. I would certainly prefer more of this than the nineties pop, but I can’t necessarily knock it too far; especially when there are some bits of vulgarity thrown in.
Victoria definitely feels like one of those “black belt chicks” that comedian Sam Tripoli was talking about in one of his podcasts. According to him (and I’m paraphrasing here), women who wear white belts are less likely to be vulgar, are very prim and proper even outside of the professional world and you have to be very careful what you say around them. Whereas women who wear black belts are more likely to be a bit crass, may not necessarily be the most mannerly outside of the professional environment; and you can be a little more loose with what you say around them as they’re less likely to take offense or may even be more vulgar than you. I’ve seen this more than you’d believe in modern society. One of the problems we have in modern society is the fact that people often get pedestalized and you feel that you have to treat them like more than any other human being. Which is frightening and a wee bit weird. You often wonder if these modern day pop princesses have ever uttered a foul word, have ever taken a shot of alcohol or even hit a blunt, even marijuana is legal in their area (of course, it should really be legal everywhere) and that to me is a bit scary, because you find out that this pop visage is not the case, these people are just like you and maybe that is why pop music is becoming a lot less clean. Which is a good thing. Because the worlds crafted in the pop music are not indicative of our current reality. They may as well create manufactured happiness. This doesn’t mean that love doesn’t exist, it means that love isn’t simply sunshine and rainbows all the time, as Victoria has stated through this album. Maybe Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift won’t utter “Fuck you, motherfucker!” and “you cunt!” in their songs, but these are definitely statements based on emotions that real people face, rather than what the sappy world of modern pop music would have us believe. For that, I greatly champion Victoria’s approach here.
Getting back to the album, we have “You’re Pain” which again treads the line between candy pop and what sounds a little bit like the Mortal Kombat film soundtrack along with harsh, Otep style vocals. There are also a few riffs here that remind me of the Batman Beyond soundtrack. After that, we have another pop cut in the form of “The Best That I Can” which I would say is one of Victoria’s softer and more passionate moments on the album. It is definitely a welcome change of pace from the heavier material and truly shows off her improved pipes. The next one is “Last Of Me”, a nineties alt-rock track with an unexpected solo moment. It’s not my favorite cut, but there’s definitely something here for everyone. The next cut is “Lady” which is yet another powerful track, demonstrating societal progression in the form of an LGBT love song. The chorus is truly catchy and a fine place to end the album. Oh, but there’s just one more track – that would be “You Say” which carries more of a cabaret feel and ultimately takes on a rather hypnotizing nature. I’ve always loved music styled in this era, even though I feel that the instrumentation is just a bit odd here. For some reason, I keep thinking of Jessica Rabbit, though I couldn’t tell you why.
In any case, I definitely have to give proper respect to Victoria De Mare on this one because she’s broken a lot of ground in the world of music that artists with million dollar contracts haven’t even tapped into yet. While not all of these experiments work, the record definitely showcases her skills on many levels and has something for everyone. Though as I said, she’s definitely a black belt kind of woman as the record switches from clean to vulgar in a matter of minutes. The most interesting part about it however, is that these changes happen without warning. I wouldn’t buy it for grandma, unless she’s a really cool grandma.
(14 Tracks)
8/10
Empty Chalice – Mother Destruction (2019) – The newest release from Empty Chalice is just a spine-tingling and unpleasant as you may expect. The first track that we have here is “Unholy Light” which begins with the humming of children, yet wanders down a frightening corridor, truly fit for that of a horror movie soundtrack. It ends with just a faint hum, leaving an almost deathly silence. “Treblinka’s Snow” has an icy chill, while a woman reads equally chilly poetry. There’s also a video accompaniment to this one, which seems to warn us of the dangerous of communism and how it led to mass starvation in Russia. Please let us not forget that Stalin starved his own people, left to die in the snow. As the piece continues, the atmosphere becomes almost mechanical, where the voice fades to let loose the horrors of war. I can almost hear the air raid sirens. Once again, we are left with a deadly silence. “Qua Resurget Ex Favilla” comes next, with what sounds like a demon snoring. He also seems to be snarling in his sleep, probably dreaming of terrorizing people – but I don’t think that all demons do that, I’ve heard they get rather stressed. Something of a meditative notion comes later, where a faint hum and chanting can be heard. There’s also what sounds like a chanting snake-demon (or maybe it’s attractive lamia, don’t judge) somewhere in the background. The chanting continues, as does the hissing. Maybe this is what it sounds like when a lamia has an orgasm. Whatever the case, it is quite ethereal and definitely the least horrific track on the album. “Rest In Pain” is our next experience, which begins with what sounds like communicated messages through an electric current, though rolls right into ritual. Of course, this could be a sort of verbal argument where ritual is in the background. After the ritual has ended, we are left with a tiny sound that spans for quite a few minutes and serves as a sort of release. The final track here is the title piece, which serves as a multitude of different emotives, ranging from therapeutic to downright terrifying. There isn’t much in the way of other types of sound effects, but it can feel like you’re barreling down the mouth of hell itself – or the abyss, if you like. There does seem to be a glittering chocolate center in that abyss however, where the record takes it’s final journey. Though is all truly as it seems? The end of the disc is almost as mysterious as it began, with the subtle sounds of children.
At the end of the day, I’m quite fond of the tapestries woven on this album and look forward to more experiences from an artist that makes us question nearly every note of the journey that he’s offered to take us on. Rest assured, it isn’t a very happy place – but it doesn’t merely latch onto frightening the listener as some kind of Halloween friendly novelty. That, we can be thankful for. There are several videos online that accompany these tracks, but I prefer listening to them more than I do watching, because they can be a bit of a time-sink.
(5 Tracks, 51:00)
8/10
The Lord Weird Slough Feg – New Organon (2019) – It has been a dog’s age since I’ve heard anything from The Lord Weird Slough Feg. Now I know that they just call themselves Slough Feg these days, but I will never stop calling them The Lord Weird Slough Feg. “Headhunter” serves as a wonderful opener, with it’s traditional Native American folk influence. The Lord Weird Slough Feg’s melody section has already been notable, packed with a production value that sounds both crisp and analogue, which makes sense as these guys are strong believers in the power of analogue music over digital processing and I have a lot of respect for that. The amount of brilliant guitar solos on this disc are also staggering, there’s no doubt about that. I found myself jamming right along for the entire forty minutes and that’s something that I can seldom say about bands these days. The record as a whole mixes terrific bouts of prog with bountiful melodies, offering the very package that The Lord Weird Slough Feg fans remember them for. If you were a little confused by Digital Revolution, then this is definitely going to remedy that confusion for you in what I can honestly consider to be one of the band’s best efforts since Atavism. In other words, if you can’t find something to like on New Organon, then the band’s unique blend of folk music and prog metal is simply not for you. Mike Scalzi also sounds especially potent here, as if he never aged several years since the recording of their last effort. It’s been a good six years and I was taken by surprise upon learning that this album was even a thing and I raised the bar so high that it threatened to came off the poles. Thankfully, my unrealistic expectations were not just met, but passed by nearly every one of these cuts, offering a record that is as melodically brilliant as it is forward-thinking. The band’s lyrics always come dripping with a kind of uncommon intelligence that the mainstream media sure wouldn’t be caught dead trying to market in this day and age. God forbid, people put their phones down and start thinking for themselves. If you’ve read any of frontman and college philosophy professor Mike Scalzi’s short stories then you’re already aware of the man being quite the genius. We’re certainly thankful to have him in the world of heavy metal, as we could use a little bit of academia with the way the world has changed to introduce what Scalzi keeps noting as “sophistry” on the band’s title track. Most of us have quite literally lost our minds, myself possibly included in that number; but I’m not letting go of my craziness until everyone else is able to let go of theirs. I’m almost wondering if the apes of which we are a genetic ancestor are better behaved. Honestly folks, I could listen to this album a dozen times over as it is a remarkable collection of music, atmosphere and intelligence, but I’m going to save that opportunity for you the listener to sit down and enjoy; and rest assured – you will. The only problem I had with the disc was “Uncanny” which sort of rubbed me a bit wrong in the vocal performance, it felt a little off. Perhaps that one wasn’t quite fleshed out enough yet. Even so, it’s a tiny nitpick and I doubt it will hinder the amount of joy and excitement that you will experience with New Organon. The disc is an incredible effort from an incredible band.
(10 Tracks, 37:00)
9.5/10
The Meads Of Asphodel – Running Out Of Time Doing Nothing (2019) – After a lengthy wait, The Meads Of Asphodel are finally back, with a brand new dose of chaos and intrigue. After chronicling events of the holocaust in Sonderkommando, The Metatron and J.D. Tait have worked on a not so new concept, both focusing on death and hatred. Some of you might wager that this sounds like just another day at the office for these guys, but this time the messages are even more relevant as we are in an age where hate seems to be at the forefront of the world’s stage, so much that it has even found it’s way into the metal scene, where hatred has always been quite pleasant. The difference though, as the Metatron will explain in a coming interview is that are different kinds of hate and perhaps those might create radicalized people that could cause massive amount of trouble for all of us in the future. Some might say that they’re already doing this, small a number as they may be. In fact, I was saying to myself yesterday, “where are all these Nazi’s they’re talking about?” I was beginning to think it was an Iron Sky situation, where the Nazis had taken refuge on the moon and were transmitting messages to people on the dark web through satellite signals or something. Maybe they’re hiding in my bushes. Behind the shed? In the water closet? Ah, I think I know where those little bastards are hiding – My closet! But there’s only a bunch of clothes in here, so I have no idea why people are so frightened. But I really should have donated a few of these shirts years ago.
Despite not knowing where the Nazi’s are hiding these days (maybe the earth is hollow as Greg Carlwood theorized and they’ve got bases there?) and whether or not I should be prepared to battle them should they come marching out of my commode, I have to say that fans of The Meads Of Asphodel’s work will be quite pleased this time around. As always, there are many genre infusions, from electronica to acoustic folk and even some trippy prog instances. There are even female vocals present on “Like Blood Shaped Flakes Of Snow” that remind me of The Project Hate, before they became monotonous. If “Recollections Of A Loom Hand-Weaver” doesn’t put you into a zone where psychedelics may be useful, then “I Stood Tiptoe, Reaching Up For Heaven” surely will. There’s also the wonderful welcoming in “Bug Splat” which is prime quality for these guys. A little bit of jazz can also be found on closing number, “Souvenir Of Death” which seems to invoke a bit of a trance. If that wasn’t interesting enough, there are also some disco influences on “Black Is Black & White Is White” Perhaps this is not something you would expect for these guys, but The Meads Of Asphodel have always played outside of the box and I think this is something that more bands should be trying to do. They’ve transcended metal in several ways, but you’ll still hear plenty of it – the black metal influences that have been there since the band’s debut (which is quite great and should be reissued, since everyone else is polishing their old albums and re-releasing them) are still quite prominent; though definitely beefed up with glorious synth performances and decorative guitar melodies that launch into brilliant guitar solos. It’s great to hear a good solo, especially in every song ever made; which is what I would do if I had my own universe to manage. Additionally, there are more clean sections overall on this album, which even includes The Metratron himself in some areas. Please keep in mind that Running Out Of Time Doing Nothing is not your garden variety black metal album and it will take far more than one listen to grasp it completely. There are several unique blends of styles and atmospheres in play here and I feel that people who truly love experimental and out of the box music will certainly love it. Especially a certain section on the record where news clips are intertwined with laugh tracks, an idea that I feel is as genius as the band itself. I’m quite convinced that The Meads Of Asphodel have outdone themselves here and I didn’t even think that was humanly possible from what I’ve heard prior.
(11 Tracks, 64:00)
10/10