Powerman 5000
New Wave
Pavement
After a rather ho-hum release in 2014’s Builders Of The Future, I’m proud to say that this short, but strong effort is probably the band’s best release since Tonight The Stars Revolt! Obviously, it does contain some more of their rock elements as well as the rapping from Mega Kung Fu Radio, but I’m not actually bored by it. Differentiation between the songs is what really worked here as the conspiracy rap/rock of “Footsteps and Voices” serves as a great opener, with just a slew of the past album’s party-rock to be found in “Hostage.” The single, “Sid Vicious In A Dress” is obviously a bit more mainstream for the rock crowd and doesn’t quite feature the shouting from Spider-One that other cuts here do, even though it could be considered a rather loud dance-rocker. “David Fucking Bowie” is another great electronic-influenced rocker, referencing the famous artist while at the same time mocking people who only recall “Space Oddity.” It’s one of the album’s highlights, without a doubt. “Cult Leader” feels more punk-rock than the others, making me think of The Ramones. “No White Flags” is an unexpected ballad, in which Spider-One performs a rather spirited performance. I was a bit shocked by this one, it is definitely one of the band’s most mature cuts. “Thank God” is the heaviest song on the disc, which makes me miss those old days pretty heavily. It shows that Powerman 5000 are still able to create hard-hitting material, they just don’t seem to want to judging by the length of this song. Even though if these guys released a disc as heavy as this track next year, people would be praising them instead of much of the ridicule I’ve seen in online comments. “Die On Your Feet” is another rap-influenced cut which should be a single along with ‘Sid Vicious In A Dress.” I think it’s the closest fans will get to Mega Kung Fu Radio. The album started to wane around “Get A Life” which was a decent electronic rocker, much in the vein of mid-era Manson. It’s not bad, but it didn’t leave much of an effect on me. The disc ends with “Run For Your Life” a punk-influenced electronic rocker that reminds me a bit of Billy Idol.
All in all, this might be the best that we’re going to get from PM5K and if this one ends up being some kind of swansong, then at least they’ve left us on a good note. Spider-One did much the same as his brother Rob Zombie did with his last album, except that the formula actually worked here. I guess because PM5K had been constantly changing approaches, whereas Rob Zombie had been trying to relive Hellbilly Deluxe with every album, it came off refreshing to hear this slightly nuanced tribute to the band’s previous work and styles. A little bit of Mega Kung Fu Radio, Tonight The Stars Revolt, Transform, Anyone For Doomsday? And several other nods to the band’s now immense catalogue of releases makes for an interesting retrospective. I’d definitely recommend New Wave and never thought I would at first glance, though after hearing it quite a few times (the disc is only a mere thirty-one minutes in length) I can say that it’s definitely worth checking out for fans that may have jumped off the bandwagon decades ago.
(10 Tracks, 31:00)
8/10
Nocturnal Rites
Phoenix
AFM Records
Swedish death come power metal act Nocturnal Rites have returned with their first album in twelve years, and even though The 8th Sin is ranked at the bottom of the barrel from twelve reviews in Metal Archives, I actually enjoyed several cuts on it. What can I say? In any case, if I liked their worst then I should certainly like this one, which has a score of 84% and is a hell of a lot more appreciated by fans than the prior. In any case, the vast majority of the band has not changed this time around, with the slight exception of Per Nilsson (Hagen, Scar Symmetry, Zierler – I gave that band a 10/10 seeing as they only have one album, ESC) who now handles guitar duties in place of Nils Norberg, who quit a year after the band’s commercial disappointment.
That being said, what are my thoughts on this unexpected rebirth? Well, it sounds quite like what I remember from the band with some obvious changes. The industrial elements are still in place, as well as some fierce djent which is what opens the disc with “A Heart As Black As Coal.” Nilsson’s solo efforts are also just as potent as I’d recall them in Scar Symmetry. You can definitely tell it’s him, which might be a good or bad thing depending on the circumstances. I personally would have thought him a strange fit, given the technicality of these solo efforts; but it manages to give Nocturnal Rites an unexpected air of vibrancy that can be felt almost immediately. As far as Johnny Lindqvist’s performance is concerned, he sounds just as good now as he ever has. I’ve always thought he had a wonderful singing voice and this album proves it further. Our next track, “Before We Waste Away” is a prime example of that, showcasing everything that I’ve liked from this band as far as their saccharine choruses are concerned. A little bit of djent and technicality from Nilsson doesn’t hurt sandwiched in the middle there either, even though the song would have still been perfectly solid without it. “The Poisonous Seed” however, opens with a hefty thrash and some nice noodling. It’s good to hear a heavy edge from these guys, even though the chorus isn’t quite my cup of tea. I’d still consider it real banger, though. I think fans felt that the heaviness was missing from Nocturnal Rites last effort, so it’s good to see them “bringing the metal back” as it were. Nilsson’s solo kills on this too, so it’s definitely a standout in the instrumental department. I think that with a few more listens, it would definitely soak in. Nilsson strikes again with yet another memorable solo on the almost balladic cut, “Repent My Sins.” I especially love the latter part of the track, where a slight bit of darker chunk and orchestration closes it out. I wish more had been done with this though, it had potential.
“What’s Killing Me” mixes groove together with some background shouts and slight electronic beats to make an oblong, but vocally strong performance that can’t be denied. When Nilsson breaks in, it only fills the oddly-structured piece with more depth, proving that he’s indeed a good fit for the band. “A Song For You” rushes to the chorus with an almost inhuman pace, but that’s acceptable enough for radio and I think that’s what they’re attempting with this one. Despite the majesty on Lindqvist’s vocal performance, the entire song feels like a band on fast-forward and just seems to saturate immensely with said chorus. Yes, I’ll agree that it is a great vocal performance, but now I’ve got an earworm in my head. They should rename it to “An Earworm For You” if I’m being honest. “The Ghost Inside Me” melds orchestral symphonics and hard-hitting grooves together in the way that only this band can, to bring yet another powerful vocal performance. Let me just say, it’s quite refreshing to hear these guys again. I really missed hearing Johnny Lindqvist in music, as I’ve always been fond of his work here and admittedly have more than a few Nocturnal Rites cuts on my personal playlist, especially some of those from the last album that everyone except me hated, it seems. This cut is a bit longer due to some folkish theatrics, but that works for me. It flows directly into the electro-groover “Nothing Can Beak Me” which is decent enough, but didn’t really strike me in the chorus section and wasn’t truly memorable at least until Nilsson’s choral performance. It just seemed a bit too similar to what had already been attempted better in other songs on the album. “Flames” stands out a bit more due to it’s folkish nature, as well as a much softer vocal approach from Lindqvist during the first couple of verses. The track is a bit slower, but emotionally potent. “Used To Be God” is the final track on the standard edition and is a right thrasher with a killer hook that’ll serve as a great jumping off point for the next one. If you have the limited edition version of the album however, you’ll be treated to what I’d consider a real treat called “Welcome To The End.” It’s a bit of a shame that this was left off of the original version of the album, because a B-Side it is most certainly not. Aside from more great guitar work by Nilsson, it also comes off as a rather thrashy cut and features some rather potent symphonics as well. I didn’t realize that it was a practice for a label to remove one of the good cuts from an album and offer it as a bonus, but this is what I’ve observed.
I know I’ve said it before, but it’s just great to hear Nocturnal Rites not only back together again, but sounding better than ever. The band has really stepped it up a notch with this latest offering and it was definitely worth the wait. Nocturnal Rites fans simply won’t be disappointed by this effort and despite the obvious modernisms, it still remains a rather potent and noteworthy disc in their catalogue. Definitely give Phoenix a listen before the year’s out.
(11 Tracks, 46:00)
8/10
Serious Black
Magic
AFM Records
The third release from this international supergroup featuring members of bands like Rhapsody Of Fire, Bloodbound and Tad Morose are back with their third release, which Metal Archives reviewer Empyreal absolutely despised for some odd reason. The guy gave their last record a 73% and their debut a 67% even though the other reviewers on these albums have given them much higher scores. Unfortunately, he’s the only guy to cover this and he’s given an 18%. Well, I don’t really care who this twenty-six year old kid thinks he is, because from what I’ve heard, this disc is definitely not an 18%. As a matter of fact, it is filled with all of the things about this genre that I care about, like hard-hitting melodies and choruses that you just can’t get out of your head. Some of this even goes back to Helloween’s early work as far as the keys n’ chug are concerned. Unfortunately, it doesn’t manage to keep that momentum up as it swirls into the realm of romantic pop-rock with dashes of metal and keyboards.
The disc really begins with “Binary Magic” where we’re treated to some dazzling intro melodies at the start from Dominik Sebastian. Alex Holzwarth begins to kick up the drums a little and then Urban Breed pounds out the chorus. There’s a distinctive eighties rock feel to this that literally made me melt, and I knew that I’d had a winner from the start. Next came the equally potent “Burn! Witches Burn!” which continues to share the same eighties influence that was prominent on the prior cut. Although the record has a definite thump, it manages to stay locked into it’s eighties influences and I’m praising it for that. On this track in particular, there’s an amazing solo break, which only serves to make a good song better. “Lone Gunman Rule” is decent in all of it’s keyboard theatrics, but it took a little while to grow on me, compared to some of the others. “Now You’ll Never Know” is a little bit of an outlier in the AOR vein, but I think it hits. It’s definitely pop, but I wouldn’t consider it unlistenable. I’d prefer it a great deal to the garbage that they call pop music these days, that is for sure. Next up we have “I Can Do Magic” which I at first thought was a little redundant, but it comes off with that classic eighties rock flair that has been present through the whole disc thus far. There are some notable leads here to boot, which makes it another standout. It really strikes me as a bit odd that the band didn’t cover any of the classic seventies/eighties tunes regarding magic. I’d really have loved to hear a cover of America’s “You Can Do Magic” on here, and the album feels a little incomplete without it, because I think the band would have really delivered on it. Of course, these guys might not even be aware of the cut, and maybe if they had been; they may have decided to do it. Anyway, continuing the redundancy of “magic” on this album (don’t worry, it stops towards the latter half of the disc) we now have “Serious Black Magic” which there’s a video for, even though once again; I feel it was a terrible representation of the album compared to opener “Binary Magic” and “Burn! Witches Burn” which would have served as much better promotional singles for the disc. Why don’t they ever use the songs that actually get stuck in people’s heads? I mean, isn’t that the point? In any case, the song comes off a little catchy but doesn’t seem to deliver the same amount of potency as the aforementioned I’ve named. I wouldn’t want it to represent the album, had I been a member of the band.
Now that we’re on the post-magic part of the disc, we have “Skeletons On Parade” which has a good hard-rock feel, with some interesting lead riffs in play that I wouldn’t have expected from these guys. It’s not their strongest vocally, but I think there are more than a few interesting experimentations going on here, especially in the break where we’re treated to a mesmerizing keyboard solo by Jan Vacik (I’m a bit reminded of Vitalij Kuprij here) as Sebastian’s guitar finishes it up with a real bang. “Mr. Nightmist” came off a bit of a miss for me, despite it’s classically influenced leads. Sebastian and Vacik might deliver in the breakdown sections, but the track (which is now starting to sound a little Touhou to me) still doesn’t quite hit the mark as far as I’m concerned. Luckily, there’s a bit more piss and vingear to be found in “The Witch Of Caldwell Town” despite it’s sappy chorus line. Even so, there’s enough chug and keys here for me to enjoy. As expected, the piece delivers most in it’s breakdown where several tapestries are interwoven in order to bring out a bit more depth. It’s almost like a sort of prog jam and deviates from the guitar/keyboard solo that we’ve been hearing. “True Love Is Blind” is a bit of a heavy ballad, which kind of strikes me as odd, as the whole direction of the album seems to have changed a bit. It reminds me a little of some J-Rock acts that I’ve heard, where romantic cuts are quite common and popular. There might very well be some Japanese interest in this one, as with many power metal albums that get special editions especially for those fans. I’ll admit that the cut is quite catchy, and not something I would have expected Breed to sing on. “Just Kill Me” opens with a rather technical sort of class, but only manages to blossom in the chorus and lead riffs. There’s a section where Breed sings through keyboards, but they only seem to slightly drown him out. Vacik’s keys also manage to take a small portion of the breakdown, but this isn’t all that memorable in retrospect. The album is definitely waning down, with “Newfound Freedom” almost feeling like it comes from a disc that is wearing out it’s welcome. In fact, I don’t really have much to say about this particular cut, because I’m starting to feel that the disc should have ended a few tracks ago. It doesn’t help that the piece in particular is very short and forgettable aside from the rest of these cuts. I’ll give Sebastian the benefit of the doubt as far as the solo section is concerned, but I’m honestly getting tired of this now. Thankfully, there is only one song left on the disc and it is comically entitled “One Final Song.” The piece begins with a mixture of keys, violin and piano, so you should know what to expect from it. Then the piece begins to explore the theatrics of a rock opera. While I’ll commend this experimentation, it often comes off confusing. The hidden track confuses me even more, as it’s female fronted approach to the chorus of “Serious Black Magic” just doesn’t sound like something you’d expect from Serious Black at all.
In all honesty, I’m kind of torn on this one, because I loved the disc up until the latter half, where it more or less plummeted in value. To be honest, after the eighth track, “Skeletons On Parade” all of the songs just felt mediocre. If we take out the introduction, then there are really only seven out of fourteen cuts on the disc that are worth a listen. I’m not sure what happened here exactly, but you wouldn’t expect such a saccharine approach to this kind of heavy metal from Serious Black and I think I now understand why the kid proceeded to trash it with his score and review. Though, I still think he overreacted a little as the record isn’t “that bad.” Trust me, it could have been much more forgettable than this. As it stands, I think Magic is a decent effort and the enclosed bonus Live In Atlanta disc helps to soften the blow just a little, as the band perform several of their classics with an ecstatic audience. Maybe this one was a little different for the crowd, and not everyone will get it – but it still proves that these guys have at least some fire left in them. It’s only album number three, so there’s still a chance to sharpen the edges up for the fourth disc. If you love hard-hitting power metal and romance rock though, you’re probably going to love it. Though in my opinion, it should have just been ten cuts and a bonus America cover. That would have redeemed the performance a little, as it just began to grow weaker as the listen continued. Those are the worst kinds of discs that I review, and an unfortunate part of this business.
(14 Tracks, 60:00)
6/10
Communic
Where Echoes Gather
AFM Records
Norway’s Communic have also returned after a lengthy stint with their first effort since the poorly received The Bottom Deep and have returned with a suitably solid release here. I’m at most reminded of Nevermore, which is a good feeling. I don’t find that the choruses are quite as strong as those that Warrel Dane belts, but they’re certainly not bad and the overall offering feels like it has just as much firepower as a prime-era Nevermore recording. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from these gents, as I have not heard them in quite a bit. Where Echoes Gather really could have offered anything, though I am certainly glad that it did not, relegating to a familiar style of heavy progressive metal that fans will surely appreciate. What I liked most about the album, is that it is actually heavy. When I think of prog, I don’t usually think of fast-paced drumming and massive distortion, as is offered on this recording. It contains the right amount of chunk and thrash to get me excited. You can actually headbang to it! Not that you can’t fiercely bash your head around to other prog-metal albums, but I find them very few and far between in this genre. I think some of the great artists on InsideOut are forgetting that this is a progressive metal genre and not a progressive rock genre. I’ve actually grown a little tired of some of their stuff recently, because it just doesn’t feel like metal. It’s not terrible, I’m just not getting that kind of heavy metal edge that I feel the genre should offer, despite what kind of musical approach has been injected inside of it. In the same sentence, I should add that prog fans are not being left out of this soup; because while the disc is thunderous, it is also quite brainy and features dozens of tapestries for the mind to explore. You’ll find that in countless numbers, as well as the bonus cuts. It’s really quite a trip!
As for those bonuses, we’re given three new tracks including the nearly ten-minute long “At Dewy Prime.” These are absolutely not cast-offs, including the aforementioned, which is one of my favorite cuts on the disc. Perhaps the song is a bit unmastered and doesn’t have the clarity of the tracks on the main part of the album, but I have to insert a “shame on you” moment for the band or label’s decision not to include this magnum opus onto the rest of the disc. Sure, it starts out a little slow – but it’s a beast if you’ll give it a chance. It also contains a very strong chorus number, which has me wondering why in the hell it was thrown to the side. If your copy doesn’t have this song, go check it out on YouTube or something. You need to hear this one, especially considering how much work was put into it – and request it live too. If the label doesn’t want to offer it regularly, then let the band know that it is a valid song and should actually be performed in front of people. Definitely give this album a shot, even if you’re a bit on the fence after the band’s last one, which I haven’t personally heard and cannot comment on. The material here is strong enough to erase those misgivings and that oddly includes the bonus content, which is rare but not unheard of.
(12 Tracks, 73:00)
8/10
Ektomorf
Warpath
AFM Records
I’ve never really been that much of a fan of live concert recordings, but the latest output from Ektomorf is exactly that. Hailing from Hungary, these guys have been crafting punchy grooves since their ’94 demo days. Warpath explores most of the band’s best numbers, including some of their latest tracks from ’15s Aggressor. The concert was recorded during the last Wacken and features the whole set (unlike most Wacken DVDs) which totals in at forty-five minutes minus the odd Game Of Thrones intro. These guys must definitely be major Game Of Thrones fans and I’ll definitely have to talk to them about that geekdom during our site’s transformation, but there’s nothing Game Of Thrones related on this entire album. That isn’t a real problem for me though, as it fills with all of the grooves that bands like Slipknot, Fear Factroy and Soulfly/mid-era Sepultura are known for. You’re getting a disc of pounding groove metal without clean vocals and an enthusiastic crowd response. I’d say it’s a good time. Best of all, frontman Zoltán really keeps the crowd going and is deservingly high in the mix. I can hear his vocals quite clearly amidst the pounding bass and even make out a lot of the lyrics. It’s awfully raw and vulgar, but I’d expect nothing less from these guys. An Ektomorf concert is a chance to just jump around and get all the negativity and frustration out, which is more or less what these fans did. The album comes with a bonus DVD of the entire show along with a band interview, but I haven’t had the chance to sit down with that yet. Though I can assure you that if the visual is anything like the audio element of this show, then you’re going to be in for a real treat.
Ultimately, the record is heavy as fuck and even features George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher making a surprise guest appearance on the track “Evil By Nature” which is a great addition to the performance. These guys haven’t released a live disc since ’06, so it’s great to see them powering through these cuts over a decade later. I know that Ektomorf aren’t the most celebrated metal band and for some reason Metal Archives doesn’t want to accept them in their ranks either, but I feel that they’re more than brackish enough to be added and have paid their dues to this genre for much longer than a lot of other bands have. These guys have been crafting metal for nearly thirty years now, so it’s just amazing to hear them doing it so effortlessly and enjoying themselves during this live show. The band absolutely does not sound like they’re just playing by numbers here, because there’s a definite energy and passion to this blunt edge, which I absolutely love. I’ve never been crazy about their studio albums, but I love this disc. Ektomorf definitely sound better live and there’s more than enough fire and fury here to make an impression, so give it a listen!
(11 Tracks, 46:00)
8/10
Oz
Transition State
AFM Records
Since 1982, these Finnish come Sweden heavy metallers have been playing a style of rock very similar to the early days of Priest, Saxon, Accept and Iron Maiden among many others. They disbanded in ’91 but resurfaced in ’11 with a brand new album entitled Burning Leather. Now six years later we have another effort from the guys in Transition State. Let me tell ya, if you love the sound of classic heavy metal with an exceedingly warm production and strong hard-hitting choruses, then you’re going to find something here. I also have to note that many of the leads and solo efforts on this record are quite brilliant, showing off the immeasurable strengths of Johnny Gross and Juzzy Kangas. These guys are all new to the table, as well as bassist Peppy Peltola and even their frontman Vince Kojvula. As a matter of fact, the only surviving member from the classic lineup is Mark Ruffneck, who managed to put together a rather suitable crew of musicians in retrospect. Kojvula has a pleasant falsetto that just seems to fit, especially on the incredible bonus cut I’m listening to right now, “Whore Of Babylon.” If your disc doesn’t have this one, you’d better go out and find a disc that does; because not only is the guitarwork simply staggering in it’s neoclassical sense, but the vocal presence is absolutely remarkable. Though in all fairness, let’s talk about a cut like “Restless” which should be found on standard copies of the album. It chugs with all the might of Painkiller-era Priest, but has some added acoustic influence to back what is one hell of a killer chorus line. Even on this one, Kojvula sings his ass off and that’s what sells an album. Have you ever sat down and listened to a record and said to yourself, “Wow, that guy can really sing?” Well, that’s the same way I feel about this one. I’ve already told you that the new axemen can shred with the best of them, so the end result is just plain potent. While I don’t see many metalheads talking about classic and power metal in the way that I used to, I can definitely say that classic metal fans would be fools to pass up this level of performance. Transition State sounds like all of the strong classic discs that I’ve been jamming recently, like Strong Arm Of The Law, Eternal Prisoner and British Steel. If that sounds good to you, then you’re going to eat up numbers like “Drag You To Hell” and “In The Shadow Of A Shotgun” which has a major Hammerfall feeling to it. To be honest, there are classic heavy metal references strewn all throughout this one and I don’t think I could be any happier with it.
There are a few issues that I have with it though, which is mainly the odd choice of bonus track placement. I’ve mentioned this about Nuclear Blast and never expected AFM to be a similar culprit as I’m a big fan of their artists and what they stand for in this industry – but why would you ever take out a cut that was meant to be the fifth track on the album? I’m talking about “Whore Of Babylon” again, which is a real standout and certainly not a B-Side. Adding to that, “Sister Red” kicks the hell out of “Never Close Your Eyes” which I’d kick out of the bed in a heartbeat. The leads are an absolute standout here, with the chorus equally powerful. I just don’t see why the label or band felt this was only good as a B-Side and it’ll suck that the guys will never play such a killer track during their live shows. I’ll say this though, if I ever see Oz live, I hope they play this one as those melodies are just absolutely killer. I’m not sure which of the two guitarists are responsible for the leads here, but someone needs to pat the guy on the back. Along with “Whore Of Babylon”, this cut is one of my favorites. I’m actually going to throw it on my personal playlist, because it’s something that I can really jam on repeat for awhile. That’s become exceedingly rare for me as of late, so it’s a major compliment to the band as a whole. In any case, you’ll only be missing out on these tracks if you bought the overpriced vinyl version of this album, so I commend AFM on this decision to keep people buying CDs and not having them fall for the vinyl trap that so many people I know are helplessly sinking money into. That being said, OZ have crafted a killer little disc here and I’d definitely recommend listening to it. As I said, I’m going to play the shit out of “Sister Red” but there are a slew of memorable cuts here for fans of classic metal both old and new, to enjoy.
(13 Tracks, 57:00)
8/10
Symetria
Self-Titled
Tripsquad Productionz
New Jersey’s Symetria have officially debuted with their first self-titled album, and it’s actually quite good. At first I thought I was getting a doom album with opener “Wakening” but as the disc continued, I saw that the band were apt to try several different styles within the context of this performance. I wasn’t crazy about frontman Vincent Santonastaso’s vocal approach at first, but it grew on me as did many other parts of the album. Dual axemen James Soto and Kevin Cust also prove their worth on the record with several elaborate solo portions, as well as some proficient leads here and there. Parts of the disc are still raw in areas, but it came off quite memorable overall. Fernando Carerra gives the record a rather heavy, kind of chunky bass end and that makes for what almost sounds like a marriage of traditional heavy metal and east-coast hardcore. With “Flying High” we can easily see that, and I’m really surprised that they were able to make it work. “Venial Sun” almost sounds a bit sludgy, with “All The Same” coming off quite like classic thrash. You can easily hear the Anthrax in play there. “Time” sounds a little more progressive in areas, and you’ll notice drummer Blair Smith attempting several different styles of drum patterning throughout the album. Now some might say that this sounds like a band confused, but I would argue and say that it sounds like a band showing how versatile it is. Symetria actually recall the earlier days of metal when bands were trying a lot of different things and it’s almost fair to say that they’re a crossover act.
I’m quite happy with the disc, as it’s a bit different than most that I receive in this genre and Symetria really could evolve into something noteworthy overtime. The album kind of sounds like Anthrax and Biohazard getting together with Manilla Road or Saint Vitus and that’s certainly not a bad thing. It’s definitely a breath of fresh air from the swarths of tech-death that we’re being pummeled with on a daily basis. If you’re looking for something that sounds classic yet still retains a few necessary nuances, then I implore you to give this one a listen. Symetria are certainly unique, but as to whether or not they will be the next big thing is known only to time.
(9 Tracks, 39:00)
7/10
Disastroid
Screen
Unsigned/Independent
San Francisco’s Disastroid have been going strong for a number of years, having released a new EP almost every year since ’12. It might seem a bit strange that the band has so many EP’s and not one full-length, but if you think about it, this allows them to put out a lot of music whenever they feel the need to do so. This is not saying that the band will never release a full-length, but it just doesn’t seem to be what they want to do now.
As for the record, it reminds me a little bit of Mastodon, Kyuss, Primus and Queens Of The Stone Age. There is definitely a heavy backbone to the disc, but it feels rather intelligent; hence the “math rock” subgenre tag that goes along with “stoner” and “sludge.” If we put that all together, we would have a bunch of sludgy, dirty intelligent stoners and that’s more or less what you’re getting here. Though you’re also getting a little bit of Killing Joke (New Day) which is not an influence I would have pegged for these guys. There’s also a great deal of blues influence here, as we can hear from “I Didn’t Kill Myself” which also channels Soundgarden. I hear some slight Chris Cornell in the frontman’s approach here, but closer to the end of the album, we get some heavier cuts like “Clinical Perfection” and the rough-necked “Gunslinger.” The band also manages to throw in a nice little instrumental called “Choke The Falcon.” Disastroid are one of those bands who’ve already defined their sound and image over the years to a point where they’d be snatched up by a big label at any moment. The band are already playing live shows in their area, but have since taken off for the winter to resume playing in January. I can definitely understand that, as I also told them that this would be the last physical album I’d be covering for the rest of the year. Thankfully, I’m quite pleased with the performance offered here and I think that as of late, these guys are headed for some truly great things in the future. The performance is very crisp, well-structured and feels like it came from a band that you’ll recall in the future. I’m just waiting on the major rock and metal press to cover these guys as that’s what will really allow them to take off. In my opinion, Disastroid are stars in the making.
(9 Tracks, 34:00)
8/10
EMPTY CHALICE
Emerging Is Submerging
Malignant Records
The latest album from Empty Chalice, Emerging Is Submerging provides a series of short atmospheric bursts which I can ultimately describe as rather unsettling to say the very least. “Look Into My Eyes” offers the classic atmospheric drone, sounding almost a bit tribal, while “Muffled Screams” throws us directly into the unexpectedly frightening territory of a horror film. “Sidereal” thrusts the listener into some sort of lost civilization, where further approaches end up in the ramblings of an indecipherable ancient tongue. The title cut transports us into a sort of industrial facility, wherein various machine noises can be heard, which is rather expectable for this genre and possibly a little bit too similar to many other artists within it. It’ll probably serve as a good soundtrack for Dead Space or Prey, however. The last cut here is “Stolen Breaths and Destroyed Hope” where our listener will find themselves in the middle of a xenomorph nest. This was the most accurate way I could describe it, recalling the original nest scene from the first Alien film. Empty Chalice provides something different with every track on this album, which is a bit of a rarity in the atmospheric/industrial/noise field. From influences in horror and sci-fi films to meditations in the form of ancient rituals and lost civilizations, this act simply delivers it all.
(5 Tracks, 60:00)
8/10