Feral
Forever Resonating In Blood
Oracle Productions
A completely unexpected bland of Canadian black metal that reminds of acts like Agalloch, Burzum, Emperor and others (like the Bandcamp page says) but also adds into unexpected qualities – the vocals remind me a bit of Dani Filth albeit with a slight dip into DSBM howl territory. So I should hate it then, right? Wrong. There’s one thing about the disc that really allows it to stand out and that would be the ridiculously amazing and over the fucking top guitar solos. Yes, the kind of noodling that you might expect to hear on a Yngwie Malmsteen or a Guns N’ Roses album somehow or another wound up in this cold Canadian forest atmosphere, which definitely works for me. The performance is definitely a bit raw though, with the whole thing sounding like it was recorded in a small cube. Muffled, would be the correct word. The disc even takes on some light core semblances, as well as few death metal growls that help to build onto this oddly crafted formula. J. Feral might not be the best vocalist I’ve ever heard (and some of the screams and shouts work their way completely off-key) but he is definitely one of the best guitarists I’ve heard in the black metal genre. Why? Because again, the guy isn’t afraid to shred on a black metal album. I mean, black metal purists have already forgotten about this one, because it wasn’t made in Norway around ’96, so he may as well appeal to listeners of all types of music, like myself. Forever Resonating In Blood is the kind of album that I can take or leave as far as the vocals are concerned, but I don’t even feel mine are all that great, so there you go. Once again though, it’s all about the playing for me. In my honest opinion, J. Feral is one of those few guitarists that could actually do the world a great deal of justice by releasing a shred album. This guy is so talented, that he should try out for a major label band and I’m not kidding. He should head online and look for bands that have recently lost an axeman, because I think he’d do well there. I mean, it’s not like he can’t still do the black metal stuff, but a little world tour couldn’t hurt.
(9 Tracks, 55:00)
8/10
Cosmic Wool
Cosmic Wool
Nemesis Records/Vanity Music Group
Considered by fans as a type of “space rock” and formed from members of The Texas Hippie Coalition and Anti-Mortem, Cosmic Wool seem to mix funk, groove, indie rock and regurgitated sixties psychedelia into a package that reminds me heavily of acts like Queens Of The Stone Age, Soundgarden and Monster Magnet. There’s even some Velvet Revolver here. “Moonstone” in particular sounds like Soundgarden, while the opening riffs of “Nina Cherry” remind me a little of Finger Eleven’s “Paralyzer” hit, just with a bit less groove and more atmosphere. The frontman even seems to roll into Bee Gees territory in a few places, giving the piece almost a disco feel. “I Met A Girl” comes off as hard rock in some ways, while “Only” visits trance for a bit, while shaking hands with Hendrix on the way. There are a lot of influences packed onto this little disc, and it has quite a bit of variety for it’s thirty minute playing time. Cosmic Wool actually feels like one of those short discs that you’ll end up playing several times over, so it’s short span won’t even matter in the slightest. I’ve only scratched the surface on this little disc, but something tells me that great things lie in store for Cosmic Wool. Besides, we need a little trance jam band like these guys in the rock scene right now. It’s becoming far too serious and people are forgetting how to let loose and rock.
(8 Tracks, 30:00)
7/10
Dark Hound
Dawning
Self-Released/Independent
Probably not named after the Gundam nor the beast from Wheel Of Time, these Nashville progressive/technical thrashers are definitely worth a listen. They’re unsigned, but that’s about to change – and it should. These guys are as relevant as Nevermore during their prime and even seem to give me Voivod and Devin Townsend feel. It’s going to probably go down in infamy that while I’ve sat and watched several bands play full sets, I walked out of a Voivod show. They were the headlining act that night, but it was just kind of funny to me – and I’d just seen GWAR. Not that Voivod aren’t talented, but the vocals never worked for me. I actually consider Dark Hound in the same class as Voivod, but the fact of the matter is that I prefer their frontman/bassist E.T. Brown far more than Denis Bélanger. The man just sounds harmless, which I don’t think works well for thrash. I also felt that the Voivod I’ve heard is just a little flat. It’s also quite harmless. These guys did a cover of the sixties’ Batman theme for crying out loud and it’s the most unoppressive thing I’ve ever heard. Dark Hound on the other hand have a rather chunky bass end, which goes great with guitarists Evan Hensley and Preston Walls. Of course, you’ve got to have a thundering backbone on the drumkit with Josh Brown, and they deliver there as well. I’m not going to say that Brown hits ever note perfectly, nor that he is just some kind of ravenous beast throughout the disc, but it helps to have a gritty vocal bark every once in a while to show more muscle to this progressive thrash machine. As you well know, I like my grooves and these guys give me those grooves along with the kinds of solo efforts that we may expect with a band featuring dual axemen. Leads and rhythms snake about the tapestry of this thing, while Brown pounds his bass and allows for the kind of crunch that gets my head banging and my foot tapping. Can’t quite bang my head like I used to, but I can still feel that energy and it still gets my body moving. If you’re looking for an album that channels acts like Voivod with the punch of latter-era Nevermore, then Dark Hound is going to be just what you’re looking for. After all, with tracks like “Thrashgasm” it’s easy to see that they haven’t forgotten what kind of music they play and for that, I’m thankful. I apologize for all of the Voivod bashing here, but I gave them honest listens and just can’t get into much of it. Though with Dark Hound, I found what I was looking for with Voivod. Funny how that happens.
(11 Tracks, 48:00)
7/10