Bear are a Belgian metal band and this is their third album.
Okay, so the album cover and band name pretty much sum up what this sounds like – you’re gonna get mauled.
This is a balanced offering of complex technical math metal and muscular, taut modern metal. It’s Continue reading “Bear – /// (Review)”
Memories in Broken Glass are a modern metal band from the US. This is their debut album.
This is modern progressive/technical metal with a djent slant that showcases how it’s easily possible to create involving modern music without it coming off as overproduced plastic rubbish. Continue reading “Memories in Broken Glass – Enigma Infinite (Review)”
Ion Dissonance are a Canadian hardcore/mathcore band. This is their fifth album.
As one of the leading lights in the hardcore/mathcore/whatever scene, Ion Dissonance’s new album certainly has a lot of expectations attached to it. Of course, as you would expect, the band Continue reading “Ion Dissonance – Cast the First Stone (Review)”
Meshuggah are a legendary Swedish progressive/extreme metal band and this is their eighth album.
The fathers of djent return, with 59 minutes of progressive metal that definitely blows the proverbial cobwebs away.
This is very heavy indeed. If you know Meshuggah at all then you know Continue reading “Meshuggah – The Violent Sleep of Reason (Review)”
Colosso are a Portuguese death metal band and this is their second album.
I really enjoy Colosso’s earlier work, (Abrasive Peace, for example), so Obnoxious is a release I was looking forward too.
The band have a track record of experimentation with their sound and looking to better themselves however they Continue reading “Colosso – Obnoxious (Review)”
L’Incendio are an extreme metal band from Italy. This is their debut album.
L’Incendio have a death metal core that they build on with elements of other sub-genre styles, fleshing out their well-rounded assault in a wider-ranging way than many of their peers.
Combining atmosphere and accessibility into their Continue reading “L’Incendio – L’Incendio (Review)”
Coma Cluster Void are a death metal band, (of sorts), and this is their debut album. They have an international lineup, with members from Canada, Germany and the US.
This album features not one, but two ex-Cryptopsy singers. You heard that right. To be fair, one of them, (Lord Worm), is only a guest vocalist on a couple of tracks, but still. The other, (Mike DiSalvo), is only one half of the vocal attack, the other half being provided by Continue reading “Coma Cluster Void – Mind Cemeteries (Review)”
Systemhouse33 are a Metal band from India. This is their latest album.
Their previous release Depths of Despair was an enjoyable, albeit brief, romp through all things heavy and modern, and Regression continues the theme but ups the stakes.
At a slightly longer 30 minutes in length, the band have further refined their blend of modern Metal and Metalcore/Hardcore/Death Metal influences into a potent blend of muscular aggression.
The singer has a harsh snarl that fits well with the music and doesn’t allow for any compromise. He plainly means business and I like what he’s selling.
The songs chug, rumble and bludgeon their way through the playing time and there’s a decent amount of catchy riffs and heavy melodies involved.
Although I liked Depths of Despair this is an all-round more cohesive, focused and superior release; perfect for when you want some heavy, crushing, upbeat, groove-based music. Without too much extremity, but also without going the other way into commercial, sanitised waters, Systemhouse33 have hit the right spot and Regression is actually a positive move forward.
For fans of Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Whitechapel, Skinlab, Machine Head, Testament, Merauder, etc.
This is the second album from Israeli Death/Groove Metal band Ferium.
Ferium’s début album Reflections was a lively and enjoyable album that mixed Death and Groove Metal in just the right amounts.
The first thing about Behind the Black Eyes that strikes me is that it’s a far more focused effort than their début; the total playing time, total number of songs and individual track lengths have all been pruned, showing a band who have gained experience in the last few years and have trimmed away the fat to leave a lean, aggressive Metal machine.
The band essentially employ the same format as they did previously – heavy riffs and groovy beats interspersed with elements of modern Metalcore and underscored by a Death Metal base – but this time it’s tighter and more direct. That’s not to say there’s no depth of songwriting here, rather, the band are now closer to the style they clearly want to play and are playing it as they know how best to do; with angry brutality and poised aggression.
The singer growls and barks his way through the tracks. He seems to have improved on his already very satisfactory earlier performance and on this latest release appears to have settled into his role even more comfortably than previously. His voice is quite versatile, with his many different vocalisations all intent on maximising aggression.
All of the songs are well written and demonstrate a band coming into their own. Interesting and nuanced riffs rub shoulders with simpler bruisers, resulting in satisfying songs that may take a direct approach but provide enough content so as to be worth returning to over time.
Well, Reflections was good, but this is better. Well done Ferium.
Highly recommended for fans of Whitechapel, Gojira, Lamb of God, Job for a Cowboy, Thy Art Is Murder, Meshuggah, etc.
Intensive Square are a Technical Metal band from the UK. This is their début album.
This is Technical Metal played with a love of both complexity and crushing rhythms. There’s a Hardcore side to the band that’s combined with a firm Metal base, resulting an album that combines elements of such diverse bands as Botch, Converge, Johnny Truant, Meshuggah, Circle Takes the Square, Pyrrhon, Today Is the Day, Scarlet, Frontierer, Sikth, Periphery and many others.
Featuring a splenetic vocalist who has a vicious screamed shout, these songs provide a satisfying ear-bashing while also catering to those who like a bit of technicality and complexity with their beatings. It doesn’t go too far down the complexity route though, as there’s plenty of big rhythms and grooves provided to get the listener moving and jerking around the place in strange movements.
The album lasts 45 minutes and provides a meaty feast for anyone into this kind of thing.
Give them a listen.
Wonderbox Metal 