Reviews – Page 579 – Wonderbox Metal

Enola – The Light Fröm Below (Review)

Enola are from France and play Post-Metal.

This is the band’s first EP, although at 36 minutes it’s longer than some albums.

They start off confident and only get more so from here. Post-Metal is such a loose term for a lot of different potential sub-genres that all vaguely fit around the quite open-to-interpretation blueprints left behind by the masters – Neurosis/Isis/Cult of Luna.

After this it’s up to the individual bands to make of it what they will, and even combine with other genres and make wonderful things happen. This is one of the reasons it can be such a hotbed of talent and creativity.

So what of Enola then? Well, as stated above they have made their own way in this now crowded genre and have injected a bit of a Screamo/Hardcore element into the equation and could quite comfortably be termed Post-Hardcore.

The songs are big on melody and atmosphere, created by just the basic instruments. They’re played with a passion and an emphasis on musical exploration and expression of angst and rage tempered with something more subtle.

The Light Fröm Below brings to mind two recent releases I’ve reviewed – Eryn Non Dae and N. Tesla; Enola seem to share common ground with both bands while adding the aforementioned Hardcore influences into the mix.

This is a very accomplished and proficient band; confident too, as stated earlier, as the songs have a strong sense of self and direction you might not always expect from a first release.

The songs have heaviness with an in-built fragility. The vocals share this seeming dichotomy as they are largely rough and angry sounding whilst remaining emotive and open at the same time. There are also frequent spoken words and semi-sung parts that have a clear link to their Hardcore lineage. Clean singing is rare, but when it does appear, (first on The Door), it’s exceptionally handled.

This is a truly remarkable release, especially so for such a new band. It’s bands like this that always make me happy to be into this kind of music. This is a real treat. If this is only an EP then their first album should be devastating.

Do yourself a favour and get this.

Withem – The Point Of You (Review)

Withem come from Norway. This is their début album of Progressive/Power Metal.

It’s orchestrated, complex and obviously talented. This is melodic and colourful with frequent keyboard ostentation that recalls Pagan’s Mind at their sparkly best.

The songs make an impression with their enthusiasm and passionate Metal delivery. They’re well composed with lots to hold attention and frequent changes/alterations in the musicianship to keep things interesting. They do manage to keep this coherent enough to fashion into songs that have a direction though rather than just sounding like a mishmash of conflicting instruments.

The musicianship cannot be faulted and all instruments have the opportunity to shine. The leads and solos are represented well, as is to be expected with this style; the guitar riffs and rhythms are interesting and changeable; the drums are not just a backbone to the band as they seem to have a life of their own on occasion; the bass isn’t just going through the motions and is an audible enhancement to the tracks; and the keyboards…well they’re simply everywhere but manage to not get in the way at all. None of this would be possible of course if it wasn’t for the strong songwriting.

But what of the vocals? Well, the singer has the kind of voice that soars effortlessly and has no problem at all reaching the higher notes. It’s very fluid and sounds a treat.

This is a remarkable achievement from a band that are still relatively new. With this being their first release it’s an impressive one.

Tragodia – Mythmaker (Review)

Tragodia are from Italy and this is their third album of Progressive/Power Metal.

Featuring good songs and a strong sound, Mythmaker is an album that delivers the goods.

On the slightly heavier side of the spectrum, Tragodia recall bands such as Nevermore and Angel Dust with their thickened riffs and impressive vocals.

The band are melodic and tight, with some nice elements of Classic and Modern Metal finding a way into their sound on occasion. The Power Metal side of things is kept in check by the heavy guitars and the Progressive edge is felt in the musicianship.

The song structures themselves are the most important thing of course and this is an album that has all of the strengths of the genre but none of the weaknesses. This is quality Metal done right and played well. There are no slips into cheesiness or retro-worship. This is thoroughly state-of-the-art while dragging all of the essential classic elements of the genre into the here and now.

The singer is one of the best I’ve heard in a while. He has depth and range was well as being capable of full emotional delivery.

I’m just blown away by this album. Tragodia: Please receive your mark of A+ and go to the head of the class.

Funest – Desecrating Obscurity (Review)

Funest are an Italian Death Metal band and this is their début album.

After a perfunctory intro the band have at it; they specialise in Old-School brutality from the likes of Dismember, Autopsy, etc. This is primitive and heavy with a firm nod to the Swedish school of Death Metal but also acknowledging classic Death Metal in general.

The vocalist deserves special mention as he has a great voice; a firm, deep growl that’s as expressive as it is bellowing and cavernous.

The band make the most of their rich heritage by focusing on the value of each song and not neglecting substance for style. Each track contains what it needs to be an effective Death Metal beast and doesn’t ruin itself by wondering off into areas unsuitable or ill advised. There’s no fat here, just a lean Metal machine.

As followers of this site will know, I have a soft spot for Swedish-influenced Death Metal. It’s just so very satisfying and timeless. The grooves, rhythms and riffs all pound along with that chainsaw sound and the end result is Death Metal that hits the spot.

This is also a good description of Funest. This is an enjoyable album that I’ll be happily blasting out for some time.

Have a listen and see if you agree.

Abstracter – Tomb of Feathers (Review)

This is the debut album from US Sludge/Post-Metal/Doom band Abstracter.

This is a bit of a corker. Heavy, winding, aggressive but also refined when needed.

The harsh vocals are suitably caustic in nature and some slightly unusual cleans add a further layer to the music. The clean vocals offer unorthodox highlights and never take the obvious route with their melodies.

This is Post-Metal drowned in Sludge. The filth and grim disease of a forgotten underworld positively drips off the sound as it raises itself up from the dredges to pull down anyone nearby.

Unlike a lot of Post-Metal the Sludge portion of their sound means there’s very little nicety here. The band kick out the angry jams and boy do they know how to write a good riff.

The sound is earthy, organic and complements the rawness of the band extremely well.

Abstracter are a focused singularity of woe and rage, compressed so tightly that not even light can escape once they have it in their clutches. These songs are engaging and absorbing. How is it that this album wasn’t immediately brought to my attention the moment it was birthed by whatever unspeakable ceremony carried it forth?

This is a work of talented individuals who have made who-knows-what kind of bargains to have the much sought after ability to channel something very special into these three tunes. Each song has its own story and manages to be both a journey and a destination in its own right.

If they’re this good already in their very short career, who knows what they will accomplish next? I can’t wait to find out.

Enabler – La Fin Absolue Du Monde (Review)

Enabler are from the US and play aggressive Hardcore/Metal.

Songs, songs, songs! But I’m getting ahead of myself…

This has a good Hardcore coating with a solid Metallic core. The songs rip along at a aggressive pace and leave you struggling to keep up with their urgency and sense of life.

The music is very well written and the songs have a great sense of dynamics and raging melodics. The tuneful brutality and fast angry passages show an intuitive understanding of what makes a great song. The riffs are as impressive as the overall compositions are.

This is not merely an album but a collection of individual songs that raise the bar for any other band playing any vaguely similar style of music.

The vocals are mainly screamed but still largely legible and are the crowning achievement of a band that has already poured a lot of effort into the music. They are highly emotive and work very well with the music to complete Enabler’s snarly, rabid vision of musical heaviness.

The ultimate fate of any band playing in this genre is to be compared to the legendary Converge. The highest praise I can think of is to say that I can quite happily play Enabler alongside the masters and they more than hold their own.

This is a stunning release that the band should be very proud of. It’s sadly quite rare these days that a band produce an album where every song has its own identity and purpose within the a wider whole-album context. This is an achievement to be studied and poured over by lesser bands for years to come.

A strong contender for album of the year in my book.

Kilmara – Love Songs and Other Nightmares (Review)

This is the third album from Spanish Heavy Metal band Kilmara.

Kilmara play Melodic Heavy Metal with good songs and good vocals. The band have elements of Classic Metal and a more modern influence at the same time. On paper this juxtaposition sounds doomed to failure but they manage to pull it off smoothly.

The singer has an accomplished voice that is relatively restrained compared to some in this genre, and is all the better for it. He works with the rest of the song and the music and vocals have a synergy that is unforced.

The strength of any album like this lies predominantly in the songs themselves; if these are weak then there’s not much to fall back on like there is with some other genres. Kilmara obviously take pride in their songs and have lavished considerable attention on them it seems. This has paid off as each song is slick and Rockingly good. The only slight misstep is Alpha which sounds out of place with the rest of the album; more like something you’d find on some substandard Euro-Metal cheese band’s release. It’s not an awful song but its standards are lower than the rest.

The performance of the band can’t be faulted and there are plenty of solos and leads to get your teeth into. The top quality sound allows them to do their thing with impunity; a crisp, punchy production shows the band at their best.

This is a very enjoyable album. The honesty of the songs and some quality songwriting combined with a nice, modern crunch results in a meeting of the Old-School and New- in a way that works well rather than falling flat in one of the countless ways that such a clash could do.

If you’re a fan of Traditional Heavy Metal and like a modern sheen to your music then seek out Kilmara, you won’t be disappointed.

Dimholt – Liberation Funeral (Review)

Dimholt are a Bulgarian Black Metal band. This is their début album.

This is abrasive Black Metal with an aggressive edge.

The band have carefully crafted these 10 songs into a dark piece of Blackened art ready to spread ice to the warmest of hearts.

Dimholt may frequently play at speed but there’s always time for a frigid atmosphere to be developed. They also slow the pace when needed though to take advantage of subtler melodies and some nuanced riffing.

The band have an interesting line in Black Metal riffs, with a few atypical ones rearing their heads and enhancing their songs. Chaos Reborn is one example of many, where one of the riffs in particular has quite a Rockabilly feeling to it almost, albeit all Black Metalled up.

The vocals are scathing and full of icy hate, as befits this style of music. Dimholt also inject some cleaner vocals into the mix on occasion and these sound quite grand and impressive. It’s all very good stuff.

A full and impressive sound rounds the entire package off, and this is a Black Metal album that’s easy to fall for.

Top quality Black Metal. Check it out.

The Parallax – Obliquity of the Ecliptic (Review)

The Parallax come from Canada and this is their début album of Extreme Progressive Metal.

The closest band for comparison would be the mighty Between the Buried and Me, although to the credit of The Parallax they manage to use the template but don’t sound like a rip off. Another good example of this would be a band like The Odious who also share the Between the Buried and Me influence but like The Parallax they have their own sound built onto it. Other bands that The Parallax are reminiscent of in places are the more recent Strapping Young Lad material and Lascaille’s Shroud.

Like Between the Buried and Me the band are hard to categorise as they have so much going on, but I suppose you could brand them as playing Extreme Progressive Metal, if you really wanted to pigeon hole.

The band have epic, sprawling songs full of high speed Metal and highly melodic riffing, where the solos and leads are plentiful and played better than most.

Keyboards and effects wash over the music in waves. Piano sections and 70-s style duelling synths are common.

Harsh vocals roar and clean vocals soar. The singer has a very good voice and ably manages the vocals whether they be Power Metal cleans, abrasive roars or anything else.

It’s all very well done and very proficiently played. As you can probably tell from the above the band are certainly not lacking in ambition. There are only 5 tracks but there is an hour of music here, including the epic 23 minute splendour of The Reformatting.

The sound is clear but my only slight complaint, (and it’s only a small thing really), is that it could do with a bit more depth to the sound; it sounds curiously compressed. It stops registering after a while, but when you first listen to this album after another band who, say, have a rounder sound to their recording, it stands out. Definitely not the end of the world, and it might not even be an issue for some people, but just a note for next time.

All in all this is a talented band who have produced a whopper of a début. I have no hesitation in recommending this album at all. If your tastes run to the Progressive and the interesting then Obliquity of the Ecliptic is for you. I fully expect this band to be snapped up by some enterprising record label soon, so get in on the action now.

Question – Doomed Passages (Review)

Question are a Mexican Death Metal band and this is their début album.

The band give their Death Metal a mysterious occult sheen and the music is steeped in it. Rather than a straightforward blastfest or one dimensional brutality Question inject their music with a smattering of Death-like melody and a feeling of grandiose song structure.

There is blasting, of course, and there is brutality, but there is more than just this. Dark melodies and slower sections are rife and the compositions are right up there from the heights of the Classic Death Metal era.

Question channel the Death Metal greats such as Death, Incantation, Hypocrisy, Morbid Angel and Suffocation to deliver an engaging and involving album that doesn’t take the easy or simple route.

The compositions are well written and show a degree of maturity and integrity that most bands lack. Longer songs give the band’s creativity time to shine and allow them to demonstrate their breadth of talent within the Death Metal genre.

The singer has a deep voice that’s absolutely monolithic; like an angry God from ancient days past decreeing loudly from the mountain tops.

This may be a new album but it is stylistically of a time when each song had its own identity and albums were holistically a complete package.