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Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky – The Grand Partition and the Abrogation of Idolatry (Nuclear Blast Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky – The Grand Partition and the Abrogation of Idolatry (Nuclear Blast Records)

It would be wise to keep SWAATS (sorry, we’re not spelling that name out again) away from the whole new-jack, deathcore nonsense. Clearly, they’re not playing that game, but when you have a moniker as such, wordy song titles  and a female sampler, it’s bound to happen. That’s just how it works.

The Grand Partition and the Abrogation of Idolatry (another mouthful) readsmore like an early ‘00’s death metal album, heck, let’s go back a few years to when Olympic Records was housed under Mercury Records. There’s total death metal sensibility to this album, which is great, especially when the back-to-back bang/whallop of “10,000 Sermons, One Solution” and “The Realization That Mankind Is Viral In Its Nature” gets going. SWAATS roles out some quality, Suffocation-esque riffage, only aided by a stellar James Murphy production job.

Past that, it all levels off. There’s some mondo-brutal moments on “Despot” and “Automated Oration and the Abolition of Silence” but it’s nothing worth really getting off the couch for. We’re already hearing this stuff with the vintage death metal bands and what SWAATS is doing isn’t terribly removed from it. It’s more a matter of being served what has been served, methinks.

That being said, SWAATS is clearly a notch above the crop of new, American death metal bands popping up. Plus, they have a nifty lyrical agenda and the artwork for this thing is totally rad. SWAATS is just missing a few spots here and there. Next time out, we’ll see how this unfolds.

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Ministry – Adios DVD/CD (Thirteenth Planet/Megaforce Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Ministry – Adios DVD/CD (Thirteenth Planet/Megaforce Records)

The final salvo from Al Jourgensen and co., Adios celebrates the self-imposed end of Ministry, whose long-running career has endured tremendous highs and multiple lows. A CD/DVD (there are two) of various live performances shot during the band’s 2008 “C U LaTour,” Adios is of high quality, putting the final nail in Ministry’s coffin in a rightful and just manner.

Live, the band sounds raw and animated, the result of hours upon hours of rehearsal (as documented during DVD #2, Fuchi Requiem). With Prong mainman Tommy Victor holding down guitar duties alongside Sin Quirin, Jourgensen’s troops give volatile numbers like “Let’s Go, “Waiting” and “No W” that extra industrial adrenal boost they need.

Visually, the use of the band’s famed fence from the mid-90’s (think Psalm 69-era) allows for theatrics to enter the fray. Jourgensen rarely strays from his mic stand, which is fine, as the use of video footage and samples give the Ministry live performance a different feel altogether. Rounding set highlights include “So What,” “Thieves,” “Life Is Good” and “Just One Fix,” arguably the band’s best song.

The Fuchi Requiem is the centerpiece of this set, with exclusive interviews with all band members, as well as on-tour and rehearsal footage. Jourgensen proves to be ever the wise man at his old age (he’s over 50), while Victor and Static-X bassist Tony Campos provide more than a few worthy soundbites.

Jourgensen put Ministry to rest to “avoid making an ass out of himself” and he has succeed with Adios. The band went out with a bang, not a whimper, burned out, rather than faded away. Ok, enough with the clichés – totally mandatory for industrial metal enthusiasts and those who still find the Jourgensen’s maniacal genius of value.

www.ministrymusic.org

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Nahemah – A New Constellation (Lifeforce Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Nahemah – A New Constellation (Lifeforce Records)

Falling in line with the numerous Opeth-infused/inspired bands, Spain’s Nahemah have quite the quirky, but charming creation on their hands with A New Constellation. It’s not direct Opeth worship (hey, Farmakon), but just like the Swede’s, there’s this winding ebb and flow to this thing that makes it very difficult to look past.

It’s hard not to be worked over by the band’s sideways, but ethereal melodies, ones that are of major focus during “Absynthe” and “Reaching the Stars.” There’s a little Opeth draw to most of their ideas, which is fine. They’re light years better than Farmakon and just a slight, slight notch below Novembre. Then again, A New Constellation is far more enjoyable than Novembre’s latest,The Blue, so maybe we’ll call it a toss-up.

Anyway, singer Pablo Egido does an admirable job of varying his vocals, especially during “Follow Me” and “Air.” Egido has that furrowed, grizzly rasp that is a pre-req for prog death of any form, and he uses it well and to his advantage.

Once past the halfway mark of A New Constallation, matters tend to get a little bogged down, which tends to happen with music of this ilk. But the front portion of this album (see pretty much every song referenced in this review) are totally worth investigating. A great find for 2009. More, please.

www.myspace.com/nahemahband

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Hull – Sole Lord (The End Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Hull – Sole Lord (The End Records)

Despite getting off to a doomy start and progressing onto some definite Baroness-style southern-ish metal, this album by Brooklyn five-piece Hull fails to strike the mark on many levels. Despite drawing comparisons with Mastodon, occasionally calling to mind Cult Of Luna and drifting around the heavier, cerebral Neurosis end of the spectrum, they never reach the heights of those bands. And that’s simply where the problem lies. There’s a ready-made market for Hull out there, but the only thing is, after great recent albums from those aforementioned, mentioned acts standards are high. It’s possible that saturation point of the genre has been reached.

Songs like “Transition” open with soft passages and sounds flitter in the background. “Deliverance” has some lovely guitar interplay at the beginning too and it’s here they really do nod towards Baroness. Just not as good as that band, but also a little dirtier and with less groove. “Healer” has hints of Torche hanging of it and a brilliant middle eight. The use of multiple vocals is interesting, but again, has been done better elsewhere. The overall feeling when spending time with Sole Lord is that you’d unfortunately rather be listening to something better.

www.myspace.com/hull

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Sons of Seasons – Gods of Vermin (Napalm Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Sons of Seasons – Gods of Vermin (Napalm Records)

Mixing European prog-ish metal, big windswept symphonic songsand you’d imagine a top hat or pencil mustache at the very least Oliver Palotai (Doro, Kamelot) certainly hasn’t strayed too far from his comfort zone with Sons Of Seasons. Although it has to be said he takes a tried and familiar genre and, while not roughing it up and moving things around completely, manages to make it sound interesting to even the most jaded of ears. The strength this Gods Of Vermin boasts is that time and effort clearly went into the songwriting, with no one person allowed to run riot through the corridors claiming they know best.

Take “Wheel Of Guilt,” a pretty rocking tune, with some nice guitar work and a wide open space where the vocals survey the landscape, with keyboards tinkling gently in the background. Singer Henning Basse (Metalium) has the perfect voice for this, able to deliver lines in a powerful way without over-singing them and then switching to harsh, gruffer tones when the need arises, all without ever burying the songs in his performance. There’s always plenty of room for the instrumentalists too, with bass runs and boings filling out the background, proving that this is a band of equals with no one member running the show.

Sons Of Seasons may fit in perfectly on the European festival stages surrounded on either side by old-school thrash bands and female fronted symphonic metal acts, but it’s difficult to imagine how well their sound will travel. With guitarist/composer Oliver Palotai at the helm they’re going to get some attention from the old guard but with Simone Simons of Epica fame/infamy lending her howl to “Fallen Family” they should be able to entice some of the newer fans of the genre into the fold too.

That said, unless you’re a fan of the genre already then there’s going to be little here to woe you. This is not the great crossover record, more a new standard bearer that’ll hopefully help the likes of Blind Guardian down a peg or too and stop Power Quest shite from getting a hand hold.

www.myspace.com/sonsofseasons

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Devin Townsend Project – Ki (Inside Out Music)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Devin Townsend Project – Ki (Inside Out Music)

Now fully relegated to being a studio musician (blame the burnout from Strapping Young Lad and this thing called “starting a family), Devin Townsend has shifted focus to building his solo name once again with the Devin Townsend Project.

Bear in mind that this is not the “Devin Townsend Band,” which produced the quite excellent Accelerated Evolution and Synchestra, it’s Devin going almost all-solo again, with the help of a select cast of characters from the man’s lengthy musical career. Ki is reserved and reflective, kinda like how 2001’sTerria was, with few metal moments, but a high amount of delicate songcraft, which is gradually becoming the Canuck’s modus operandi.

Ki drifts in and out, front-loaded with “Coast” and “Disruptor,” which has a Talking Heads-like squeeze to it. “Gato” runs the same way, albeit with less than-impressive results. “Terminal” pumps out a beautiful atmospheric runs that would make Anathema take notice from the pub, while “Heaven Send” is Townsend doing his take on simple, alternative pop…in his usual quirky fashion.

Past that, Ki loses its draw. The trippy “Ain’t Never Gonna Win…” fails to hit the mark, as does “Trainfire,” an ill-conceived homage to classic country musicabout a girl chasing a train. “Winter” is lush and gorgeous, though.

The first part of a proposed three-album series, Ki drifts by and leaves perhaps not the mark Townsend was expecting. Rarely does the madman leave us wanting more, but in this case, he has. Guess that’s what the next two albums are for, eh?

www.hevydevy.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Hacride – Lazarus (Listenable Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Hacride – Lazarus (Listenable Records)

Lots to wrestle and grapple with on this one…Hacride, as described by their bio as a mix of Gojira, Meshuggah, and Neurosis (nice one) have found themselves in that transient cyber-metal void that not many are piling into, surprisingly. Good ideas abound, though, and Hacride resist the temptation to beat us over the head with staccato riffing or lazy atmospheres. In fact,Lazarus is more than dynamic than the new Gojira. Really.

A lively, devoid of modern production details production job makes Lazarus more emotive than one would initially think, just take a stab at opener “To Walk Among Them” which crams some nifty grooves and sideways melodies into a 10-minute plus jam. “Act of God” is where the Meshuggah angle comes in, with the band employing some rather deft and punchy riffing.

Tech-wise, the band is pretty stout, just reference the title track (which is a colossal, by the way) and “Awakening.” Riffs remain are the fore throughout, with Hacride never straying too far from the industrious cyber metal void they’re filling and that’s probably why this album sticks – it’s the “blender” effect down to a science, almost.

We’ll see how much these lads are placed up next to Gojira. The similarities are there (both bands are French and call Listenable home, amongst others), but where Gojira is more content to let one or two ideas per songs do the talking, Hacride has a boat load of ‘em, and more often than not, they’re of distinct quality.

In all, very much recommended. Unique? Kind of, but not really, but you can’t take away from the immense depth and span of the seven songs here. Throttling.

www.myspace.com/hacride

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Isis – Wavering Radiant (Ipecac Records)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Isis – Wavering Radiant (Ipecac Records)

Crucial, vital, explosive Isis…that’s what we’re getting with Wavering Radiant. Sure, there was a bit of letdown with 2006’s In the Absence of Truth, but fact of the matter is the band could only go once place and that was down after 2004’s genius Panopticon. All this makes Wavering Radiant a rebound album and an excellent one at that.

Hardly a rehash of the aforementioned Panopticon and 2002’s equally as measured Oceanic, Wavering Radiant sees the now bi-coastal metalgazers make several firm indentations on the sound they (and Neurosis, to a much larger extent) created. Whether it’s opener “Hail of the Dead” – a big, boomy, carnival-like jam (the keys from Bryant Clifford Meyer make this go) or the now-patented gentle ebb and ebb and ebb and ebb of “Hand of the Host,” Isis has made a concerted effort to blow us up with the things they do best.

Singer/vocalist/main dude Aaron Turner turns in perhaps his best vocal performance of his career, weaving those rasps-from-hell into a controlled clean vocal attack. It’s quite massive, just take a peak at “Ghost Key” or album highlight “Stone To Wake A Serpent.”

We’ll keep coming back to how cohesive Wavering Radiant is, and that’s the defining trait here. The sonics are gargantuan, a credit to producer Joe Barresi’s knob-twiddling expertise, plus the band has to feel the likes of Rosetta, Cult of Luna, and Mouth of the Architect nipping at its heels. How could they not?

Very much the defining band of the metalgaze era (which has surprisingly been able to sustain itself), Isis now have a trifecta of albums (Oceanic, Panopticonand now Wavering Radiant) to their heralded name. Lap this up; soak it in – Isis are a resilient bunch. And still the kings of metalgaze, mind you.

www.isistheband.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Cauldron – Chained to the Nite (Earache Records)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Cauldron – Chained to the Nite (Earache Records)

Formed after the demise of Goat Horn (one of Toronto’s most revered metal bands), Cauldron slides ever-so-nicely into the classic metal pantheon.Chained to the Nite takes a nice little side-swipe at someone like a Dokken, perhaps with more gusto. Considering those NWOBHM splices thrown in, this adds up to a very worthwhile, appealing listen.

Vocalist Jason Decay takes a little warming up, as his laid-back, almost unrehearsed/unrefined clean vocals are in direct contrast to the polished, over-the-top stylings of his contemporaries. Decay proves to be an asset throughoutChained to the Nite, though, namely on “Witch Trial” and album closer “Chains Around Heaven.”

The NWOBHM vibe is pervasive, especially on opener “Young and Hungry,” which wouldn’t be out of reach for the Diamond Head’s and Tygers of Pan Tang’s of those days. “Conjure Up the Mass” takes some cues from power metal, slotted nicely in the #2 hole, while the 1-2 punch of “Chained Up In Chains” and “The Leaven/Fermenting Enchantress” provides the definitive album highlights, chalk-full of Maiden-esque melodies and a forceful mid-tempo plunge.

For all of the nostalgia present on Chained to the Nite, there’s some solid songcraft and that’s why we scored it so high. Nothing remotely new (see: Wolf), but executed oh-so perfectly. In earnest, it’s easy to fuck up classic metal, but Cauldron clearly aren’t fuck-ups, rather, a trio of Canucks with a handle on cherished sounds of yore.

www.myspace.com/cauldronmetal

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

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