Dark Millennium – Midnight In The Void (2016) – This one’s a real anomaly, in the fact that it seems to mix rock and hard rock together with a black metal edge and some other oddities. Germany’s Dark Millennium don’t play by the rules, crafting a sort of angsty dark rock that contains a heavy share of hits and misses. There are twelve tracks here and a playing time of seventy minutes, so I can’t entirely promise you that everything here is going to be golden. I will say that “Insanity Suck System” caught my attention with it’s punchy edge as “Looking Good Dead” reminded me a little of a cross between latter Carcass and Megadeth. Then we have “Rats Leading Rats” which almost sounds like a sort of twisted modern-era Satyricon. If that wasn’t enough, then the emotional brevity of “Set In Motion” and the unexpected lesson in atmosphere that comprises the disc’s closer “From A Thousand Years Of Yore” should be more than enough to satisfy your musical appetite. There’s a reason that I like this record enough to cover it here, and that’s because it doesn’t quite feel like the same song is being repeated over and over. Different riff ideas and styles are being implemented, along with some nice effects and certain non-conventionalisms that some metalheads will scratch their heads at. But that’s interesting to me, because it’s challenging. The most interesting thing is that Metal Archives has these guys tagged as progressive doom/death, even though frontman Christian Mertens’ vocal approach certainly comes off with as much as a scowl as Satyr. That still doesn’t make it black metal, but it’s so hard for me to not hear that influence here. To be fair, the band haven’t released an LP since ’93 so fans will ultimately have to expect something a little different from these Germans. The band’s two previous records have scores in the upper nineties over at MA, so that should tell you something at least. All of this aside, I can say that if you’re looking for a furious sound, albeit with a little more variety and texture, you’ll find something here. I really feel that this record needs a bit more attention (and I mean from me, as well) because it’s definitely the kind of disc that offers something new with every listen. Not bad for a twenty-year break.
(12 Tracks, 70:00)
8/10
Tommie Kelley – Four Fifty Eight (2012) – A friend and fellow magician by the name of Tommie Kelley sent me this EP a few months back and I’ve just now gotten around to covering it. You might know Tommie Kelley from his comic book work, or maybe his website Adventures In Woo Woo, or perhaps even his own personal re-invention of the traditional tarot model called The Forty Servants. But as for this work, (which dates back a few years) it seems to be a bit of electro-pop rock with some elements of darkwave and slightly progressive musings. Though “Finale” sounds like the end credits to the saddest film you’ve ever seen, there’s quite a bit here to dig through despite it’s short playtime of a little over a half hour. The record begins quite cheery with “Down” which seems like it was geared for the radio. Kelley’s vocals are quite light-hearted, but that makes a serious change later on in the record which I found very unexpected. Synths back most of this piece with some slight guitar melodies and the over-repetition of the word “down” which actually comes off pretty catchy after a while. But that might be some sort of weird brain magic. I do like how the song changes into a sort of dance/trance piece, taking on a new identity entirely. The next cut, “No Hit Wonder” really took me by surprise as Kelley’s vocals deepened to a level that I wouldn’t have expected from him in a million years. I’m quite reminded a little bit of Depeche Mode’s frontman Dave Gahan here, as airy dance grooves and guitar nodes decorate what actually turns out to be a rather good chorus. It’s catchy and works as a pretty strong single. From this early in the game, I’m quite pleased with the man’s performance. Very few artists are at this level at such a base level, which makes me think that Kelley may have accidentally skipped out on something that could have made him something of a big name in this genre. I don’t mince words here, that is literally the truth. You know, I get so many records sent my way over a month’s time and as you’d expect, sometimes friends send their work for review as well. That can be very hit or miss, but here I’d have to say that I’m quite stunned. When “Better Man” comes in, I feel like getting on a plane to England so that I can walk into Tommie’s office where I would flick him in the forehead and say, “Hey, you missed a great opportunity here in the music industry.” Not only does this piece have an absolutely killer choral earworm, but it features a rather potent electronic composition to boot. I can literally say this about all four of these cuts, which from my understanding were also composed by Tommie himself. As we get into the final track, “Probably Not Your Thing” I’m once again reminded of Gahan, Kelley handling that approach beautifully. Depeche Mode don’t even sound quite this good anymore as far as the keyboard arrangements are concerned, which is saying something for the skill here. I would’ve have expected an amateur performance with a lot of rough edges, but that’s not what my ears are experiencing. I’m actually a bit guilty of listening to this one a few more times than normal, because as I said, I found it quite catchy. There are elements of progression to be found at the very end of this cut, which only seems to foreshadow the musical evolutions that we would have seen from Kelley if he’d kept going. But this was just a side-project, a dabble. I’ve been doing this work for several years now and can say wholeheartedly that if a high caliber electronic rock album like this is your idea of a dabble, then I’d love to see what you do when you’re serious! In all honesty, this is a wonderful start from what seems like an artist who didn’t know that he had potential in this industry. Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll hear something else in the future?
(5 Tracks, 32:00)
8/10
Helker – Firesoul (2017) – Oddly sharing the same name as the recent Brainstorm hit, Bueno Aires’ Helker are back with another crushing effort in their fifth full-length album. You might remember me mentioning in a review of their last album Somewhere In The Circle, how much the band’s frontman Diego Valdez sounds like the great Ronnie James Dio. Well, he’s no longer in the band actually – I’m not sure what the reasons for his departure are, but he’s been replaced with yet another Dio soundalike in Aaron Briglia who tests his mettle on this record. There must be something special in the waters of Buenos Aires, because this gentleman definitely seems to capture some of the mannerisms of Dio, especially on “Where You Belong” as the performance is nearly a dead-ringer in some instances. Briglia also proves that he doesn’t have to resort to sounding like a legend to make an impression as well, like with the ridiculously catchy “The One” which is definitely going to be popping up in my head from time to time. Essentially songs like this and “You Are In My Heart” are essentially heavy metal pop ballads, but I did strong love songs with a great deal of thundering bass and heavy metal might, so I can definitely get down with it. I’d much rather hear songs about people loving each other in these dark times, rather than hearing all the hate in the modern media between groups of various races, religions and social views. Despite the fact that I might be making this disc out to be some kind of romantic toned-down thing akin to Nickelback, it’s definitely not. Maybe it has some semblances to early Bon Jovi, but I still stand by Slippery When Wet and other such heavy love albums.
The record actually begins with a fiery cut called “Fight” which definitely takes from Brainstorm and gives us a strong heavy metal feel with the Dio emulated vocal approach. It begins to sound like Dio fronting Brainstorm and comes off pretty potent. “For All Eternity” seems to continue the thrashing might of the opener, while packaging a rather light and Helloween-ish chorus line which might sound like the cheesiest power metal hook one can think of, but lyrically has a very devastating meaning. “Playing With Fire” invokes a groove-laden sense that only really heats up when axemen Mariano Rios and Leo Aristu perform one of the album’s many spectacular solo nodes. We expect heavy/power metal to evoke this kind of feeling, so it’s good to see our expectations met. Skipping “The One”, “Where You Belong” and “In My Heart” (which I’ve already covered) we have the soft piano backed ballad “Empty Room.” This works to show the incredible vocal range that Briglia has on the record, also allowing some romantic old-school solo hits to peer out from the darkness, just like a “November Rain” moment if I’ve heard it. Briglia also begins to channel Dio on a few notes, reminding me of some of his softer, less potent sides. “Leaving Out The Ashes” balances acoustics and Christian Abarca’s thick bass riffs together in what comes off as a very odd approach – it even feels a bit experimental. “Stay Away” feels like Dio-thrash, kicks up the pace and seems to slap on a speedy chorus that just manages to be decent enough to work well on the stage. This one would work as an especially fiery moment, just the sort of real “kick ass” fist-raiser that will get the crowd pumped right after an introduction. I’m reminded a little of Priest’s “Painkiller” albeit with a bit more crunch and some slightly more uplifting melodies within the chorus section. That speed slows a bit for the returning grooves of “Break Your Chains” which only really seems to shine in the solo. To be honest, I didn’t think much of this track until it got to the solo moment. But hey, they can’t all be winners. I would personally rather hear the Galneryus song of the same name, as it’s positively killer. The album’s title track comes next, which although erupts with the same level of punchy heavy metal thunder that we might expect from any power/thrash or Brainstorm record for that matter, it just doesn’t really seem to go anywhere for me. I want to like sections in the chorus, but I just don’t feel it’s a strong enough piece to have been the album title. “Playing With Fire” or “The One” are much stronger cuts and would have made more appealing album titles. In my opinion, if you’re going to title an album from the name of one of it’s songs, then that song had better be fucking amazing. The track does contain some great guitar theatrics towards the end, but they aren’t enough to really matter. The last cut on the CD before the cover is “Rise Or Fall” which actually relies on such heavy downtune that it nearly resembles doom. This is a bit of a change from the performance thus far and seems a very good note for the band to leave us off. Though some might like the happy, almost grunge-meets power metal chorus utilized here, I didn’t quite get it as much as I would’ve liked. It’s a noted effort, but doesn’t leave me with anything. The album closes with a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Neon Knights” which is pretty much played note for note and seems like a nice little bonus. I don’t think it’s really worth judging on it’s own, as it doesn’t really accomplish anything new other than to say, “we found our next Dio replacement and here’s how he does on a classic.”
At the end of the day, Helker’s Firesoul came in crushing but left me a bit underwhelmed towards the end. I don’t hate it, but I definitely feel it is one of the low-water marks in terms of overall quality. I know that not every song can be a hit, but this one just doesn’t seem to hit much harder than what you’ll get with the first five or six songs. Even the title track failed to deliver and that’s just not normal. The disc sounds like a band trying to regain it’s footing after the departure of a longtime and beloved frontman, which can be a very difficult for any musical act. I hope they left on good terms and that Briglia will continue to show his strengths on several more Helker albums to come. Helker still remain one of the best Spanish heavy metal acts I’ve heard, so even their weaker efforts are still rather quite strong in retrospect. The production quality is high and the performance in general is quite ripping, more often than not. It’s still worth picking up, but certainly not a classic.
(14 Tracks, 53:00)
7/10
Inexorable – Sea Of Dead Consciousness (2017) – Of the many bands out there by the name of Inexorable, these are the German strain and a dissonant death metal act at that. Though influenced by Mayhem, Gorguts, Immolation and Portal, on this album there is very little influence from the majority of those acts. That’s a good thing, as it shows the act coming into their own sound, regardless of the fact that I am not fond of it. Yes, I’ll say that here now – there are sections of this record that I found to be rather boring and forgettable despite some of the more grueling (and I do mean that in a good way) numbers that I’ve come across during the listen. But before I get to that, I feel that it is necessary for me to disclose one thing – I have no idea who this band is, insofar as the musician/s that compose the music. I’ve looked online and even have the full album sitting right here in my hands. While it displays some rather lovely images of grim death and equally grim poetry, there’s very little else to be had here. I am given the recording date, who mixed and mastered the album as well as some other things – but I’m not given anything else. Nothing of merit anyway. So while I’ve no idea who made this music, I can at least break it down for you.
The album itself is broken into four pieces, each with a Roman numeral of I-IV. Following that we have three covers, which are given enough of a touch-up to warrant their necessity in this album review. When we begin with “I” we’re greeted with odd time signatures and what almost feels like a guitar fog by which deep growls bellow (and I do mean bellow) from within the atmosphere. Sometimes the vocalist will use a clean approach, but noting soft or sweet – rather like an operatic choral chant. Something is being hailed and I’m sure that he only knows what it is. The Germans have after all, been very private about their occult dealings and aren’t quite like we Americans with Instagram photos of our latest tarot decks and grimoires. The piece seems a bit subtle, but changes drastically with the beginning of “II” which seems to show the artist’s knack for creating some rather bizarre riffs. After more of the same, we are given a slight acoustic in which a German voice clip enters and some definite Portal influence comes through in the atmosphere. It’s pretty much a dead-ringer for Portal, so I found that impressive. Far more than the first section. As “III” comes in, it feels like it rides directly on the coattails of “II”. I wasn’t exactly pleased with this as things aren’t really progressing much and there seems possibly a bit too much Portal worship. But it is raucous, dissonant and as grueling on the vocal end as you might expect. The piece eventually rolls into a full atmosphere and then to mist, where it ends. The “IV” track is actually not a portion of this recording and is not available on the digital version of the album, so you’ll have to get a physical copy to hear it. It’s much different than the rest of the songs here, so that’s a plus. More effort is being utilized here to create what feels like a creepy, synth-laden mist with light guitar and frightening vocal effects. Though I guess I was a bit upset when the guitars and drums came into play, because they began to do roughly the same thing as the previous three numbers, albeit with a punchier vibe. The drums are a bit faster and it sticks further to death metal. The track is much longer because of the additional synth atmosphere in the beginning, but it feels as if it overstays it’s welcome, even though I think it is one of the best parts out of the overall performance (read: this should not have been a bonus track at all) and if feels like it would have honestly been better placed as “I” where the rest of the cuts would follow after.
Three extra tracks have been included on all versions of the album, and they are as I discussed, cover songs. Mayhem’s “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” was first on the list, with the black metal approach that you might expect with an added amount of gruel that Inexorable are known for. The odd clean chanting vocal approach seems a bit out of place on this one though, I’ve never heard Mayhem in such a classy, almost operatic form. These clean sections do not last long however, as the death growls return amidst the tremolos. Then after a while more, they intersect with each other. Interesting. Next we have an Immolation cover of “I Feel Nothing” which is a bit less ritualistic obviously and feels more out of character with the act, which is a good thing – it shows a musician playing out of his wheelhouse. Unfortunately, this one kind of comes off bland. There’s just not enough thump as compared to Immolation themselves. The drum software just doesn’t have enough firepower compared to the kit on the original and it comes off a bit unbalanced. Perhaps his goal was to play it in a more grueling (there’s that word again) style, but even with the added “in the name of the father, in the name of the son” in operatic cleans, I’m still kind of bored by it. There was a bit of guitar noodling towards the middle though, which added a hint of a spark to a song where I literally felt nothing. So at least the name fits! All jokes aside, we have the album’s closer and final cover of Mysticum’s “Black Magic Mushrooms.” Now this cover sounds a bit older, like it was recorded during the band’s last few EP’s and wasn’t ready for release. I still don’t think it is and needs to go back in the oven. There’s too much static, the drums are too loud and the vocals are nearly drowned out sans some shrieking here and there. It’s decidedly raw and comes off rather bland, at least to me. Even the guitar solos doesn’t make it out alive, being halfway buried within the static of the horrible mixing here. If it was even mixed at all!
In any case, I found the experience here to be a mixture of interest and slight boredom. Perhaps that’s not the best way to describe an album, but it definitely fits my observation here. The covers were a nice addition, but only one of them really hit for me. As for the record as a whole, one of it’s best tracks was removed from at least the digital version and was unfortunately a very strong number. I don’t really know why this was done, as it did help to make the overall performance a bit better. I understand what Inexorable is trying to do with this approach, but it ended up slightly putting me to sleep in some regards and that can’t be helped. It’s an ominous listen, but you might end up snoring by the time it’s all said and done.
(7 Tracks, 38:00)
5/10
Gravestone – Proud To Be Dead (2017) – Their first record in literal ages, this EP follows the Italian progressive death metallers debut Symphony Of Pain released in ’94. Yes, I said ninety-four. So better late than never and that certainly can be said with a record of this caliber. What you need to know about Gravestone first and foremost is that these guys aren’t prog-death in the sense of Opeth or latter Edge Of Sanity. They’re more of a Gothic progressive death metal in the way that feels more like an ominous church hymn and less like that of a flashy female vocalist fronting dark synths and tired downtune. Nope, Gravestone are the real deal and sound like a band we’ve needed for at least a hundred years now. I’m actually reminded of super early Tristania (and I’m talking Widows Weeds) and super early Graveworm. You know, when Gothic death metal was actually good. I will say that Atrocity’s Okkult album was a very good representation of this genre too, but we haven’t had anything like that in a while – at least until these guys came into play.
The disc begins with the sound of a flatline, which adds unexpected twinkles (and yes, I do mean twinkles – these things sound particularly eerie) later punching up into familiar death metal. There’s very little I have to say about the album’s opener and title cut, sans the very interesting approach to drumming and the proggy nodes that are coming from Marco Borrani and Gabriele Maschietti’s axes and Fabrizi Di Carlatonio’s kit. It also doesn’t take very long before you get a whiff of the compositional skills that this sextet (yes, there are six people in this act) possess, and maybe a hint of neoclassical Castlevania at the end, because why not?
Next we have the pounding organ-backed death metal of “Corpse Emobodiment” to satiate our appetites, as both brutality and class are executed proficiently. To explain all of the tapestries woven into this piece would be a nightmare, but just know that it’s a wonderful night for a curse. I especially love the the whirling keyboards, and light fog effects that seem to give this performance such a meaningful Gothic edge. There’s a solo here as well, which is nothing less than perfect, despite it’s short-length. I can’t blame them for ending the piece in such a ravenous manner though. “Eyes Without Sight” comes right after, with an amazing neoclassical presence that only becomes all the more awesome when those gothic keyboard elements come into play. Of course, David Folchitto’s drumming is a large part of this and rightly so, considering the experience he’s had being in no less than eighteen acts. Some of those he’s still active in, like Arkana Code, Mesosphera, Nerodia, Screaming Banshee and Stormlord. The guitar solo in this piece was also cut a bit short, but to allow for such a misty whispered approach is something I’ll definitely accept. Not that it actually matters. “Flagellation” rolls on next, as bassist Massimilano Maax Salvatori becomes hugely prominent in the almost doom-like atmospheres which Daniele Biagotti performs. His vocals fit this act just perfectly, whether he chooses to utilize a more gravel-filled or coarse approach. The keyboard effects here are right out of Goblin, if you want me to be honest – proof that Italian keyboard skills are clearly some of the best. Not to mention that the whole approach here seems like something right out of Suspiria (the classic Suspiria, not the dreaded remake that we’re about to get – yes, guys – our country is about to turn one of your country’s most beloved horror films into a mockery of which I am not entirely happy about) and these keys just add the real icing on the cake. The last track on the album, “Matres” actually seems to deal with Suspiria also, which feels a bit ironic considering my last statement. The track actually features narration in the Cradle Of Filth style, with such an atmosphere that it feels primed to rival classic Cradle. I guess I should also mention here that I never understood the decision in Inferno for the character to run from the Mother of Darkness (Mater Tenebrarum), especially considering her first offer of teaching him ancient secrets. Though the building was destroyed and we assume her as well, I think it would have been better to experience death in order to see if there was something else that she really had to offer him. In the occult, death is often seen as a means of rebirth which is what I had literally assumed she was talking about. Only Dario Argento himself knows for sure! In any case, this piece marks a fitting end to what is a tremendous Gothic progressive death metal EP from these Italian masters. Though it has been two decades since we’ve heard anything from them, I would say that Proud To Be Dead is a perfect place to start. I’m not even really sure how this album can be topped, and in a sea of releases it still manages to stand out above hundreds and even thousands of other discs that I’ve heard since. The Grim Tower highly recommends Proud To Be Dead and hopes that you would add it to your collection. It’s delightfully grim and by far one of the best Gothic death metal albums I’ve heard in years.
(5 Tracks, 30:00)
10/10
Underwater Sleeping Society – Instrumental Healthcare (2016) – For those looking for a flowery, synth-laden dose of progressive rock that emulates everyone from Floyd to Bowie and perhaps even a little bit of The Cult and U2, look no further than this slightly transitive fourth full-length from the Finnish six-piece. They’ve been around since ’07 but I’ve never really heard anything from them before this, at least to my knowledge – and I was quite impressed with it. The band notes obvious Radiohead influences as well as The Beatles and Nick Drake, performing a variety of what I can only describe as misty tufts of atmosphere fronted by glassy vocals with a slight mixture of wave electronics. While not every song sounds exactly like this, the majority of them do and that creates a certain singular atmosphere within the album by which one can trance-out and enjoy themselves. It is very enjoyable music, nothing altogether bleak or frightening, which makes it a bit of an oddity here – though I can say that this isn’t the first time we’ve really covered a record of it’s type before. The listen itself is rather long, though it’s meant to be that way. Bands like this are the very reason I despise Coldplay’s pretentiously simplified version of this kind of art rock, because it sands down all the necessary edges and literally creates a rather bland verse/chorus style that makes something that comes off as mind-expanding as this and turns it into a packaged tub of butter. Some people love butter, but I’ve never been a fan of the yellow stuff personally; which is why I’d rather check out an act that really seems to go above and beyond to express themselves in the very fashion that Bowie himself took on years ago and even continued to his final release in Blackstar. It’s not the best progressive art rock record I’ve heard, but it’s definitely worth a listen.
(11 Tracks, 54:00)
8/10
Xoth – Invasion Of The Tentacube (2016) – Seattle’s Xoth are considered a mixture of death/black over at Metal Archives, but those guys forget to mention the whole technical part, which is a large portion of this band now. Maybe on their ’14 EP Hostile Terraforming the band wasn’t all that technical, but with this debut album that has certainly changed. The band sounds quite a bit like Vektor with hints of Absu and most certainly a little of Skeletonwicth as well, which I actually noticed myself after just a few minutes. The recording here has quite a drum presence, which might actually be a slight hindrance for it as Jeremy Salvo’s kit can sometimes drown out the rest of these guys. That doesn’t help the fact that Woody Adler and Tyler Spurgis’s vocal tracks are sometimes lower than they need to be in areas, even though I just find their work something of “the vocal instrument” whereas their guitar playing is the main course of this act. While they definitely play tremolos, the most interesting thing about this act from a melodic edge is how much the leads sort of snake around everything else. A couple of solos are also featured, one might say there’s a bit of noodling to be offered, but as I’ve always been a fan of strong composition, I’m certainly not going to look ill on an act that is doing a bit more with their guitars than a great deal of bands these days. After all, I always thought that the point of playing new guitar-based music was to write riffs and styles that haven’t already been featured. It’s safe to say that almost everything in this genre is now a slight variation on something else, but that doesn’t mean that these variations aren’t credible, which is what Xoth offer at a base level. Again, I feel that the double-bass blasts that Salvo uses on this album can interfere with some of the riffs in it, it’s very hard to explain here and chances are that he doesn’t notice it. The only remedy for that would be to get another kit entirely and these gentlemen don’t have that kind of money, I’m sure. In retrospect, it’s not all that big of a deal as the guitar compositions still shine throughout pretty well and again, that’s the bulk of this release. You’re talking about a band that could do well as an instrumental act, but seems to feature a pretty stable vocal effort which reminds me of early Quo Vadis. I think if these guys went back and heard Day Into Night, they would be surprised how much they’d unknowingly taken from it. That being said, Invasion Of The Tentacube is a wonderful album that seems to have as much influence from Voivod as it would Quo Vadis, Vektor and several others. These guys are even on the same level as Vektor as far as I’m concerned, so if you’re miffed about the Vektor split, then you can check this one out to easily fill the hole. It might be rough around the edges, but is still worth checking out.
(9 Tracks, 42:00)
9/10
IceThurS – Unlocked Door (2016) – This is the debut album from Russian experimental folk/thrash/death/electronic three-piece IceThurS. Of the nine tracks, each one gives a different feeling and I’ll have to break that down here. The album opens with a native language cut very much in the vein of Viking metal replete with folk instruments, pummeling bass riffs, razorblade scowls and clean female chants. “Gift” turns the whole thing into an electronic/industrial metal act complete with downtuned bass that reminds me of something like early Blood Stain Child. The female vocals still remain despite the change in sound and much weightier vocal element, but I can’t say that I mind them. “Compotator” begins with a man vomiting in the toilet, some rustling bags and then full-on The Crown style death/thrash. Blasts are utilized in the piece as well as happy choruses, where the female vocals are yet still a part of this band. It’s very odd to hear such a heavy approach with these cleans, but it works for the band and really allows them to stand out. I’ve heard three songs from this band so far and have gotten a different act with almost every approach. Interesting. “White Road” returns us back to the folk of the opener as it comes off with a very traditional approach that later transforms into a heavily unexpected instrumental pounder. This is actually quite cool, as most bands would have recorded the track at a straight-forward level, where no extreme sections were utilized at all. It will depend on the kind of listener you are as to whether or not you think this is overkill, but it keeps me listening and I’ll allow it. “Loki” comes next, with a very avantgarde feel. It’s a heavy track with a scant bit of folk and clean vocal, which later builds strength and becomes a bit more fierce. The next piece is another native language cut that more or less transforms a native folk song from it’s traditional structure into that of metal. Following that we have “War” which combines the downtuned riffs, folk instruments and slight electronics to create a more contemporary approach, complete with a nice little solo section. It’s one of the band’s more modern moments, that’s for sure – but it’ll appeal to fans of modern deathcore stuff more than some of the other tracks here. As we continue, we approach “Vengeance Of Veles” which sounds a little bit like Italian folk music with a slightly more operatic approach. Later it becomes a sort of tribal chant. The album’s final cut and title track is a bit of a clusterfuck, it seems like a little bit of everything is going on here and I can’t quite discern the nature of the piece. It has sections that I can see as modern groove, but there’s literally so much experimenting in one place that I’ll admit they’ve kind of lost me. That might be a bit of a detriment to the whole thing really, as the band first introduce a few songs in different styles, only to have them mix together in so many ways that it becomes indiscernible towards the very end of it. Maybe a “less is more” approach might help these guys a little. In any case, I would recommend at least giving it a listen and you can do that on the enclosed Bandcamp link following this review. Or you can just check out the clips. What can I say? It’s different, but maybe so different that structure seems to have been thrown right out the window. There’s a point where we must eventually ask ourselves, “how much is too much?”
(9 Tracks, 35:00)
7/10