Deadbird – III (2018) – Hailing from Arkansas, we have the third album from Deadbird, simply entitled III. Not everything needs to be “Starfire Burning Upon The Ice-Veiled Throne Of Ultima Thule” so I’m thankful for their simplicty here. Led Zeppelin seems to have felt the same way. Since this is Arkansas, of course this is doom-influenced and I’m happy to say that we love our goddamned grooves in this state. They go well with bowls and whatever else we live to do around these parts. In any case, the guys really knock it out of the park with “Luciferous Heart” which seems to combine fine touches of melody with fierce torrents of doom, and what sounds like fierce howling winds in the harsh vocals. That sounds great, I’d see it live for sure. And when you go to one of these doom shows, you can literally feel the reverberations from the instruments, sending soundwaves right through your body – it’s almost like an out of body experience at times. This album won’t do that justice, so just remember that you’re getting only half the show here. Problem is, it’s going to be much harder to hear the cleans on “Heyday” which almost bring me back to Alice In Chains. You can definitely tell they’re an influence. There’s a light bit of acoustic featured here, as well as what almost sounds like a machine whirring. That’s pretty cool, I think it sets up a unique thoughtspace within the music. However, that envelops into an all-out solo fest that I’d love to see pulled off right in front of my face. Yes folks, Arkansas has some great bands. Don’t count us out because we’re the armpit of America. We definitely know our doom, and if you haven’t learned that already, then you’re just plain ignorant. “Alexandria” is decent enough, but I feel that it takes a bit too long to get to the meat, which is in the chorus. It’s a bit a stripped as far as length is concerned. “11:34” is a night time instrumental, complete with crickets and light acoustic strumming. I also hear what sounds like a helicopter in the background. Maybe someone’s running from the government. But joke’s on you, you CAN’T run from the government. It’s always there, inside your coffee cup, listening through your TV (yes, that’s actually a real thing – check out the Samsung controversy) checking out your refrigerator and rummaging through your underwear. I had to chase a suit out of my house the other day, because he was going through my sock drawer. Go on you, get back to the Pentagon!
The Grim Lord’s stinky socks aside, “Brought Low” feels like a dirtier version of Pallbearer, albeit with a nice Acid Bath feel in the harsh vocals. You could also compare it to Rwake. Whatever the case, I’m definitely digging it. And again, whoever is responsible for the tiny sound effects that I’m hearing here and there really makes a difference. These effects add depth to the performance. Deadbird isn’t going industrial, they’re just adding a few electronic whirls to build substance. “Bone & Ash” brings on the last bit, and it’s quite meaty. The track begins with a vocal approach that comes off as heavy and crunchy as it’s grooves, which is unique as it is rare to hear a band’s heaviest number as their closer. As I am not able to recall the previous records, but would assume them to be raw and barbarous; I would assume that fans of the band’s previous work would enjoy this one more so than the others, but I am not completely sure of that. I can only state that this is the heaviest cut that III has to offer and you can only take it or leave it at that point. I don’t really get the idea of “Ending” as it is too short to matter, but I do enjoy the UFO beaming portion as experienced in the synths. Once again, Deadbird are not going industrial and aren’t resorting to synthwave (yet). But they are definitely adding some intrigue with these electronic samples.
All in all, fans of experimental doom won’t be disappointed with this one and Deadbird is really showing their strengths here, which makes them a standout act. I definitely feel that there is something unique here, even if it is merely in the synths. I mean, no one else is doing that right now in our state at least; but Bill said he’s been considering it since I’m aiming for an industrial feel with our next disc, which hopefully comes out before some major economic collapse. In any case, you’re really going to have to experience this stuff live in order to truly feel this recording. Maybe you’ll grasp something from the disc, but I just don’t think that anything compares to a live series of reverberating thumps when you’re experiencing doom metal. Deadbird prove that they’re an act to watch out for and I’m not saying all of this just because they’re locals. I’m simply stating the facts. Give the record a listen at the link below and tell me what you think. Now give me a minute while I chase this government agent out of my underwear drawer. Get out of there, you! You people are worse than rats! Did you know that I found a cigarette butt in my coffee this morning? And I don’t even smoke!
(8 Tracks, 38:00)
8.7/10
New Light Choir – Torchlight (2018) – I had to make sure that this was the same New Light Choir that crafted Volume II, which as I recall from ’15 was “my personal favorite dark/rock album of the year.” That’s quite a statement and I may have to revisit it. Unfortunately, the band’s forthcoming record, Torchlight doesn’t do the same for me. Even though I still love the vocal end here, New Light Choir seems to have pushed further towards the doom end of things, which gives the performance a mustier, raw vibe that I just don’t particularly care for. The disc is warm, but perhaps it is too warm. Another issue I ran into on the disc was that it was quite too long, and that’s not a good sign as this is only a forty-five minute performance. Though as I was listening to the album, I felt as if it was slowly grating on me after the seventh cut. Yeah, I’ll say that “Golden Ring” was the point where I’d taken out my MP3 player to see just how much was left. Even though this is a great doom throwback, it doesn’t seem to do anything for me that the progenitors of the genre haven’t, but there are some unique punk stylings in “Queen Of Winter” and some black metal nods in “Last March.” I also have to say that I’m quite fond of the metal anthem, “Adamantine.” Even though the song might purportedly be about some kind of great sword, it is definitely a powerful anthem to heavy metal music in general. Perhaps it is just the kind of disc that needs a few more plays before it really sinks in. It is obvious to me that New Light Choir tried to adapt less common elements into their brand of melodic heavy metal, which I definitely appreciate, though do not find quite as appealing as on the last album. I would certainly say that the band have overhauled their sound, but it sould certainly appeal a bit more to heavy metal purists and that certainly can’t be a bad thing, right? That being said, there’s just something about the performance that really bugs me and I just can’t seem to figure it out. Maybe it is the fact that I fell completely head over heels in love with II, decided to marry her and realized that she is now a completely different person after marriage. So this might signify a type of divorce, if you will. This isn’t the version of the band that I recall, even though I fully respect a band’s willingness to change sounds and styles at their leisure. I’d be a fool to say that the record doesn’t deliver on a musical level, it is structurally sound and rather tasteful. There’s a lot of class to be had here and it feels very pure in that respect. You know, it might even be the production value that turns me off a bit here, as I feel that a vastly mudded sound doesn’t suite my palette. That being said, I am sure there are those of you who will jump over hoops to put this one into your personal collection and I’d be perfectly happy with that. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this record and would much prefer II, but will at least acknowledge and shake the proverbial hand of this disc. It deserves that much at least. If you’ve seen the video meme where the gentleman hugs and shakes the hands of various people as he leaves a stage, the portion where he holds out his hand and shakes with one of those people would signify my thoughts here quite well. It’s certainly worthy of recognition and a fine performance. It would be downright discourteous of me to say that these guys made a sub-par record. It just wasn’t quite what I was expecting, and that is completely fine. It definitely does what it is supposed to do, which is to offer a raw, yet modern mixture of doom and heavy metal to the masses. Though not quite my glass of Dr. Pepper, I don’t have any ill will towards Torchlight and would consider it a fairly strong, if not solid release. Mileage may vary and you can check out the disc at the link below.
(10 tracks, 45:00)
7/10
Lividity – Perseverance (2018) – Another great brutal death experience, I had a hell of a lot of fun with this one, but I’ve always been known to enjoy these albums. There’s nothing like brutal death metal and it ought to be a national pastime. With hard-hitting grooves and memorable drumming that you’re going to not be able to help yourself but play along with, this one’s undeniably killer. I had to step off from writing the review just to stand up and air drum to the record. But what’s more, is the disc has substance. They’re not merely repeating the same structures and believe it or not; these guys chose to offer an experience that comes off as memorable as classic Suffocation. It’s actually got more substance than modern Cannibal Corpse as well, and it’s not even half as long as some of their albums. Unexpected solo efforts don’t hurt either. If you’re a BDM nut and you don’t have a copy of this record, then you need to get it. It also might be MGTOW friendly, considering such wonderful titles as “Whore Destroyer” and “Bitch Cunt Fuck.” But let’s not forget the most memorable title of all, (and that soundclip to boot) “Cumming With Labial Pulp.” Definitely not politically correct or safe for radical blue-haired feminists, Lividity is just the kind of death metal that a post #metoo generation of nearly frightened men need (just don’t kill anyone folks, I’ve harped on that enough as it is). Make sure to buy twenty copies of it. Though aside from my political rants, you are seriously getting a memorable experience here, at least in my opinion. I haven’t had this much fun with a BDM album in a couple of months, which is saying something. My former colleague would have loved this disc, so I’m jamming it one more time on his behalf.
(10 Tracks, 36:00)
9/10