Bloodbath – The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn (2018) -You know, I’m not really sure what the arrow of Satan is, or if he had a bow to shoot it; but we’ve been surprised with another Bloodbath disc and I’m not complaining about that, or am I? Look, I’m not the biggest fan of Nick Holmes being in Bloodbath, even though I have immensely (and this is an understatement) loved his work in Paradise Lost, especially on A Symbol Of Life which I’ve played dozens of times throughout my life. However, despite his excellent work in Gothic (one of the best damn death metal albums of all time) I’m just not hearing such an example of greatness here. I didn’t like Grand Morbid Funeral because of the vocal performance, but this record sees Holmes in a much stronger place. He feels like he’s gotten the feel for Bloodbath and death metal in general again, considering the way of Paradise Lost’s previous recording, Medusa. However, there are a few enjoyable cuts on here, mainly “Levitator” and groovy closing note, “Chainsaw Lullaby.” I have to admit that I vastly prefer the slow kills on this album, as Bloodbath seem to be going just too damn fast for me on several cuts, which has been an issue for me since The Fathomless Mastery. It’s great to hear chunky death with an added touch of black metal tremolo as well, like featured on “Deader.” But to be honest, none of this truly coming off as memorable as Nightmares Made Flesh. It isn’t that these Swedish veterans aren’t trying, it is that they’ve already hit their peak a few albums ago and I actually wouldn’t have expected them to keep going. A few years back, when I would hear that Bloodbath were creating a new album I’d be quite excited, but that excitement has been replaced with a look of confusion, as I just can’t imagine why they’d want to keep going after making what I felt were so many missteps. In the end, The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn might be a solid little slab of death, but there are lesser known death metal bands in the Swedish and US scenes that have already created efforts that wipe the floor with it. If you love classic death metal, you’ll find some things to like about this one; but it won’t end up a mainstay in your disc player. Even so, I have to give credit where credit is due and will give the disc a few more points due to the sheer fact that it is a slow kill this time around and actually managed to gel with me after the third listen. I just can’t remember anything other than “Levitator” and “Chainsaw Lullaby” which seems to be my main qualm with the release. I wish the disc was a little bit more memorable in retrospect, but if you’d given this one to me during my younger years, I probably would’ve dug it. Not terrible, but not exactly impressive. Ah, what the hell – let’s give them another try at making a notable disc. I think Bloodbath still have it in them.
(10 Tracks, 41:00)
7/10
Heretics Fork – Tormentore (2018) – A disc that just made me want to start pounding the hell out of those air drums, this excessively grueling and ridiculously cavernous dose of brutal death certainly made me smile from ear to ear – at least as far as the first couple of tracks were concerned. I love BDM discs where the drums are so pronounced that you can’t help but want to play along with them as you all well know and this is just another one of those that I devoured quickly. As far as vocals are considered, they are coming out of the mouth of a rather massive and quite voluminous cavern volcano. I’m imagining this large, gurgling hole in which molten lava and steam discharges pour out. That’s what you’re getting here. The album is also incredibly warm. My body heat has risen exponentially after playing this record and from recent weather reports, it is quite cold in my area. The disc is rather slow, but it manages to do exactly what you might expect. Unfortunately, there’s not much else to be had here. The drums mainly perform as I’ve stated, the huge puffs of smoke billow out from beneath the hole and there’s largely a rather cryptic feeling to the entire performance. Tormentore is not long though, which is a good thing; as the band aren’t really showing any real signs of progression in these songs. Fans of cavernous death metal with rampaging drums might find what they’re looking for here, but it is a little bit more than necessary in my opinion. You’ll enjoy it at first, but might feel that it should have ended at least five or six songs ago.
(8 Tracks, 27:00)
6/10
Second To Sun – The Walk (2018) – The great thing about Second To Sun, is that they are refreshing. While the fact remains that they are a mixture of black and doom metal; I would definitely consider the experimentation here to be a factor. Not just in synthy instrumentals like “From Outer Space” but in some of the main riffs utilized in this performance, which you’ll notice instantly. I’ve always believed that music was melody and that’s what I’m getting here. I often hum along to these albums while I’m working, and no one can really tell that I’m listening to extreme metal because the melodies in general resemble classical more often than not. Listen to the opening and lead riffs on opener “We Are Not Alone” and try to tell me that there isn’t at least some sort of classical nature to that. Of course, second wave black metal was based in Norwegian folk anyway; so it makes perfect sense that these melodic harmonies would be apparent. The vocalist is that of a goblin, which is great because Russian goblins need more work in the area. Ever since that giant hole to the abyss opened up, goblins have been pouring out of there as of recent and I’m glad to see that they’re getting the kind of work suitable for their talents. Static fuzz seems to mix with the goblin vocal touches on “Black Lines” which manages to mix melodic death metal notions in with speedier blackened efforts. You can definitely hear the folk influence in it. “Home” sounds a little bit gloomy, with a notable sense of gloom that halfway enters Lord Of The Rings territory in it’s majestic synths. Folk is poured in here as well, making for a sullen, albeit memorable performance. “The Owls” seems to continue that, but to a rather lengthy extent that truly shows it’s purpose later on in the piece. At least they’re trying to innovate. “The Train 1702” is one of the only cuts that doesn’t sound morose, feeling more like an angsty black metal with strong grooves and some light prog sections to make it stand out. For a disc that is mostly so forlorn, this is a welcome change of pace and I hope that they’re continue to branch out in this fashion. Next came “New World Order” which has a rather odd repeating opening riff structure – almost like that of a twisted ringtone. The resulting piece ultimately becomes the album’s most crushing piece and it does so with a finesse and level of tweaking that I would’ve have ever expected. If you listen to one song from this album, check out this cut for sure – that’s single territory fellas, this one will make your band stand out. People are either going to love it or hate it, but they’re definitely going to remember it. Then we have, “To Live” in which twinkling synths duel with crunchy grooves and ferocious black metal sections. There’s just so much to be had here at a structural level that I find it mindboggling. “We Are Alone” ends the disc on a rather creepy node, probably not what you would want to hear during the end credits of a horror film. Or perhaps a tragic drama, which seems to fit more with the tone of this record.
All in all, I quite enjoyed nearly every inch of The Walk and would recommend it if you’re looking for a disc that offers something more than the standard-fare mixtures of black, death and doom that so many bands offer but fail to innovate beyond. Second To Sun are going out of their way to add an extra hint of weirdness to this performance. They didn’t have to do that, but I don’t think I would have enjoyed the experience as much if they hadn’t. Some of these little tweaks are like ear candy, Easter Eggs in an audial format. Ultimately, that’s rather cool and I think you’ll find the same level of enjoyment here. I additionally have to state that I’m glad The Walk is not completely filled with gloom and doom. Necessary fire is utilized to break up the pace. We need that in music today, because as I’ve been doing my digging into the classics, I’ve found that great bands don’t write the same song every time. Seriously folks, you really have to dig into Queen to understand that a band can have more than one node, one atmosphere. It’s fine if you want to write on one node, but just try to keep it interesting – something that other bands are having a tough time with in the metal underground. That being said, Second To Sun features many different experiences and shouldn’t steer bored listeners in the wrong direction.
(9 Tracks, 43:00)
8.5/10