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Amesoeurs – Amesoeurs (Profound Lore Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Amesoeurs – Amesoeurs (Profound Lore Records)

Anyone bowled over by the blissful serenity of Alcest’s Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde will no doubt be charmed by Amesoeurs. The “other” project for Alcest mainman Niege, Amesoeurs are a revealing cross-section of most things pertaining to black metal, shoe-gaze, and indie rock. And while such a concoction might initially be too much of a hanging curveball for some, it’s not a reach to say that on their self-titled full-length debut, Amesoeurs have hit one into the stratosphere.

Sung entirely in French, Amesoeurs either benefits or suffers from female vocalist Si Je T’s J-Rock tinged delivery. In certain spots, like “La Reine Traveuse,” she fits nicely over top jangly, loose chords, yet on “Heurt,” she sounds out of place, suggesting that Niege’s black metal rasp would have been a better choice. Nevertheless, its unique touch that Je T gives Amesoeurs, even if you’re French is non-existent.

On the musical front, this is all over the map. Niege and co. rely heavily on the melodic chord movements made so monumental on the last Alcest, exploiting them the opening instrumental “Gas In Veins” and dark-as-a-dungeon “Receillement.” The proliferation of dance drum beats (no joke) on songs like “Amesoeurs” and “Faux Semblants” are very much a welcome surprise…not sure why, other than they’re infectious, adding something of haunting 80’s dance-pop vibe to the mix.

Off-hand, we can count a handful of moments on Amesoeurs that will make the hair on one’s neck stand up. Whether it’s melodic BM charge of “Heurt,” the beautiful chords at the back end of “Faux Semblants,” the dreamy strands of “Au Crepuscule De Nos Reves,” or dance pop genius of “Amesoeurs,” it all adds up to a sure-fire Album of the Year candidate.

Proof that are still no bounds to what can be done in metal, Amesoeurs is feel-good, emotionally gratifying music. And while such statements are typically reserved for other forms of music, this is simply too good of an album to undersell.

www.myspace.com/amesoeurs

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Despised Icon – Montreal Assault DVD (Century Media Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Despised Icon – Montreal Assault DVD (Century Media Records)

Notoriously delayed, Montreal Assault suffered from a litany of problems on the manufacturing side of things, causing its released to be pushed back from a proposed fall of 2008 release to now. Nevertheless, it’s an all-encompassing view at one of deathcore’s heavyweight acts, warts and all, a two-disc set with a full live show (in Montreal) and a cool behind-the-scenes documentary.

Shot in front of a sold-out crowd in their hometown of Montreal in June of 2008, Montreal Assault eschews traditional camera angles for an in-your-face presentation. Per its reputation as one metal’s most devoted cities, Montreal is wildly receptive to band’s set.

Live, the Canadians are redundant and awfully predictable, with songs like “The Sunset Will Never Charm Us” and “Harvesting the Deceased” barely doing enough to separate themselves from the rest of the band’s set. The dual vocals of Alex Erian and Steve Marois are hardly a necessity, and man, when did it become cool to wear sideways baseball hats at death metal shows? On CD, they’re a lot more visceral and dynamic; live, they’re a gigantic cluster of noise.

Disc two, featuring a career retrospective is what bails this DVD out. Chronicling the band’s journey from fledgling Montreal deathcore neophytes to their elevated status of today is a revealing watch. Interviews with all members, past and present are in-depth and revealing (in English, save for former guitarist and current DI producer Yannick St-Amand). Traveling, band fights (caught on camera), and the usual shenanigans are caught, leading up the pre-show jitters including an omission by Erian that he will get booed if he speaks in English in between songs. Well worth the hour-plus running time.

At the top of their game (and respective subgenre), Despised Icon are in a position to enjoy breakout success ala Nile circa 2002 or Job For a Cowboycirca 2007 (FYI: guitarist Al Glassman recently left DI to join JFAC), and this DVD does a lot to supplant their burgeoning popularity. Granted, the shelf-life of a deathcore band appears to be short, but methinks Despised Icon will survive in spite of their various musical shortcomings.

www.myspace.com/despisedicon

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Burning Human – Resurrection Through Fire (E1 Music)

David E. Gehlke
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Burning Human – Resurrection Through Fire (E1 Music)

The new/old/but now side-project band of Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner, Burning Human takes a couple pages and then some from the creative wasteland that was mid-90’s American death metal. Bittner once again proves himself to be an efficient, if not halfway remarkable drummer, but Resurrection Through Fire might be have one too many helpings of meat and potatoes, especially now considering the over-the-top climate of modern death metal.

Good, chunky riffs abound on opener “Throes of Dementia” and the Obituary-charged “Tormented Mind” is a keeper. Bittner’s drums are heavy in the mix (as they should be) and the simple, yet brutal riffage of guitarists Mike Stack and J. Sunkes are more than capable of producing a mosh-ready whirlwind on “As Good As Dead” and “Imminent Demise.”

While the riffing is all nice and meaty and vocalist Jonah Radealli has one vicious snarl, Resurrection Through Fire hits the proverbial wall of saminess that practically every album of this ilk hits. Few death metal bands have figured out how to get through the halfway point of an album without running out of ideas or steam and it appears Burning Human, in spite of their 10-year absence, haven’t quite gotten this down pat.

With Shadows Fall gearing for a late 2009 burst, Burning Human will receive the pre-requisite attention it deserves, but don’t be surprised if this is yet another side-project/resurrection band that falls off pretty quickly. It’s solid, but unspectacular, which again, takes us back to the mid-90’s, an era that produced what could be the biggest musical log-jam metal has ever scene.

www.myspace.com/burninghuman4

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Hellsaw – Cold (Napalm Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Hellsaw – Cold (Napalm Records)

The name “Hellsaw” won’t strike fear into anyone and with song titles like “Psycho Pastor” and “I Saw Hell,” one could almost write this off as slap-stick black metal. Yet it’s not and Cold is more than meets the eye; the combo of grim, frost-bitten BM and the rockin’ groove of modern Satyricon (see “The Black Death”). It’s this tried-and-true approach that when done properly, usually provides results. On Cold, there are plenty of them.

Right off the bat, these Austrians (comprising of vocalist Aries, guitarists Isiul and Malthus, bassist Desderoth, and drummer Svart) establishes its ground onCold with atmospheric riffing (acoustic guitars to boot) taking charge on “A Suicide Journey.” “The Black Death” is along those lines, recalling the early and present works of Satryicon, while “Cold Aeon” features the most frenzied riff interval on the album at the 1:51 mark.

Hellsaw doesn’t do anything inventive or out of the realms of black metal past and present, which is why it didn’t score higher. Still, the spoken word intro of “Psycho Pastor” is one of the better moments on the album, especially as it leads into a striking melodic riff combination. Cold switches gears again as “I Saw Hell” picks up the ball on the more rock-tinged BM front and “Moonrites Diabolicum” returns to the classic BM approach established from the onset.

This jostling between black metal styles might hurt Hellsaw in the end. If they put their collective heads down and stick to one style, the results could see this troupe flourish. For now, it’s a relative mish-mash of BM stylings, which is fine; more bang for your buck…a black metal buffet, so to speak.

www.hellsaw.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Sirenia – The 13th Floor (Nuclear Blast Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Sirenia – The 13th Floor (Nuclear Blast Records)

Methinks Sirenia will take quite the tomato tossing for The 13th Floor from some less-than forgiving members of the metal press, but you gotta hand it to these Nords: the bulk of these songs are sticky-sweet, loaded with Disney-esque Goth metal hooks that pull you right in. Call them a “Nightwish-lite” if you will. Not like anyone in this field would object to such a measure.

Lending to the bubble-gum is new singer Ailyn, whose soft, fluffy, dare we say “teeny bopper” vocals prove to be the perfect offset to the muscular, gruff Goth metal contained within. Ailyn (who surprisingly shares the same exact birth date as yours truly…thank you Wikipedia) floats above mesmeric tracks like “The Lucid Door,” which is probably the best tune of the bunch.

Some may find the quick and easy dump-and-run of “The Path of Decay,” “Lost in Life” and “The Seventh Summer” to be a little blasé, even for Goth metal, but guitarist/male vocalist/mainman (and former Tristania mainman before they went in the tank) Morten Veland pulls no punches. It’s a simple formula to make this sort of thing work and when those swooning melodies and stout, hard-nosed riffs dig in, it’s the oldest trick in the book: the beauty and the beast.

Lest us not forget some overblown synth and orchestral work that pops on more than a handful occasion – it only adds to the pomp and circumstance ofThe 13th Floor. Fools for melody (raises hand), big hooks (raises hand again), and stickly-sweet songs (guilty!) will race to this thing like a bee to honey. Probably the next-best thing to Nightwish in terms of snooty symphonic metal.

www.myspace.com/sirenia

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Mono – Hymn To the Immortal Wind (Conspiracy Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Mono – Hymn To the Immortal Wind (Conspiracy Records)

The first thing you’ll notice about the latest Mono album, their fifth, is the packaging – the booklet and artwork tying into the story of the music, giving a further dimension to this stunning piece of work.

Once you move beyond this and get down to the core, the music, you’ll find all sorts of further wonders. For a band which once shared space with Pelican on a split release, Mono are less about the heavy, heavy and more about the soft and pure. Not that we’re digging at Pelican in the slightest, but Mono take a totally different path. The destination matters not so much, it’s the whole emotional experience you have along the way. The story which unfolds as you progress.

As a whole Hymn To The Immortal Wind is more in line with soundtrack music, to say Spirited Away, than most modern post-metal. It’s a beautifully sweet record where there are few moments that stand out of the whole as being above and beyond each other. “Burial At Sea” builds to a swirling, conclusion it slips gently into “Silent Flight, Sleeping Dawn” and its lulling woodwind introduction, soft piano entrance and underlying stings. It’s these moments you take away afterwards, the classical music moments. After I first listened to this I couldn’t remember any of the rocking or metal-ish passages. I’d have told you it all remained basked in the low to mid regions, but the sea does get stormy… don’t worry about that. It’s like an expression of nature. There are the hard moments of winter, but you remember the beauty of spring better. Well you do the way Mono present it anyway.

It’s a very moving and sad record though Hymn To The Immortal Wind. There seems to be a lot of heartache behind it, rooted in its very core and that remembrance of sorrow is conveyed precisely by both the orchestration and words in the accompanying booklet. The passages where drums, guitar and bass drop out and the classical instruments take over are easily the most moving, especially the quite smile at the end of ‘Silent Flight, Sleeping Dawn.”

The balance between these two types of normally conflicting instrumentation is worked in perfect harmony throughout. This is an absolutely perfect album. The flawless score at the top is not an error. It was hovering just under the 10 for a long time, but having listened to it over and over it’s shown itself to be without any misguided steps. The journey these songs takes you on is an emotional experience, with final song “Everlasting Light” almost enough to make you cry. If you’ve ever found solace and hope in Jesu and Red Sparrowes, then this is one for you.

Hymn To The Immortal Wind will tug at your heartstrings and make you love it for doing so.

www.mono-jpn.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

The Boy Will Drown – Fetish (Earache Records)

David E. Gehlke
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0
The Boy Will Drown – Fetish (Earache Records)

Earache Records have a brand new fetish and it comes in the form of The Boy Will Drown. Get beyond the clunky name and you’ll soon find yourself elbow deep in dirty, filthy, jazzy grindcore that’ll leave you shaking. The Internet was created so things like this could be hidden on it in dark corners. An immediate wave of Ephel Duath playing games with Sikth is what you get at first with “Deep Throat.” The grinding ability is well in there though, check out the last few seconds of “Irminsul” if you doubt or the opening of “Josef Fritzl.” As things progress this becomes more apparent.

Like Ephel Duath and their fellow countrymen Sikth before them, these English boys play along the fringes of the tech-metal sound, bringing in as much as they can – like the old, crackling guitar at the end of “Josef Fritzl.” They delve off into weird, time signatures seemingly at random with the drums and bass snaps pushing it steadily onwards, on the wings winding, spiralling guitar riffs. It’s an abrasive sound, but one they do well and if you like the two aforementioned bands, you’ll certainly get a kick out of this, especially with Sikth now gone to the big record shop in the sky. That said, Fetish doesn’t come close to Ephel Duath’s latest, but with time who knows?

You can also hear them reaching mournfully for Decapitated’s throne, but again they’re not there yet. The poppy ending to “Dead Girls” sounding hugely out of place, a major misstep. It’s fair enough to have melodic or “nice” moments, but by covering it with growled vocals and a double-tap drum beat, it loses all impact. You see this type of shit on MTV during breakfast and if this is the only experience of The Boy Will Drown so far don’t let it put you off. You’d be much better off checking out the brilliantly titled “Dance Like An Epileptic” – all 31 horrific, Benighted seconds of it. As the album progresses it gets more furious than the more tech-metal orientated opening tracks. Both “Barrymore’s Pool Party” and “Apollo’s Lyre” are brilliant, as is the nosebleed inducing “Akura-class.”

So will the band with the impossibly messy logo get swept up when the current death-grind fascination gets the bin? On the strength of Fetish you’d certainly hope not. Earache Records have been doing well as of late snapping up these guys and Ignominious Incarceration in quick succession. Let’s hope they keep the talent coming.

www.myspace.com/tbwd

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Lord Mantis – Spawning the Nephilim (Seventh Rule Recordings)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Lord Mantis – Spawning the Nephilim (Seventh Rule Recordings)

Featuring ex members of Nachtmystium and current members of Indian, one approached Spawning the Nephilim with a degree of hopeful trepidation, if that makes sense. You see, Nachtmystium are great and probably the best metal band to come out of the Midwest (more specifically, Chicago) in the last ten years while Indian…eh, not so good. That being said, Lord Mantis and their debut Spawning the Nephilim create the quite the ugly racket and it’s not all bad, but hardly all good.

The issue with this album is there’s a death of melody to be found, in spite of what the band bio says. Even the loose connotations to black metal (probably because of guitarist Andrew Markuskewski’s involvement with the aforementioned psychedelic black metallers) seems to be unfounded. Sludgy, low-end heavy riffs make up the jist of this seven song platter and when you look for hooks, you get more shards of distorted Lair of the Minotaur-esqueguitar meanderings.

“Hit By A Bus” emerges as the album’s best jam, probably because of awesome chugging being tossed about; same for “Lord Mantis.” Sanford Parker (Lair of the Minotaur, Nachtmystium, every band from Chicago) gives Spawning the Nephilim a lively, loose sound, that brings the de-tuned guitar work to the fore, which makes the album all the more ragged and rigid.

Depending on one’s affinity for gruesome, hook-less sludge metal that aligns closely with Coffins, old Khanate and the like, Spawning the Nephilim will either sink or swim. Still, there’s loads of white noise on this thing and it puts up this wall that’s hard to hurdle, no matter how hard you try.

www.myspace.com/lordmantis

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Mastodon – Crack the Skye (Reprise/Sire)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Mastodon – Crack the Skye (Reprise/Sire)

Lots of derision around this one; Crack the Skye is not the bruiser people were expecting to it be, but if it’s anything, it’s more rich, wide, and built-out than 2006’s Blood Mountain. Those in search of those mountain-moving riffs ala “March of the Fire Ants” or “Blood and Thunder” aren’t going to find it here. Instead, a touch-and-go prog metal album (is this a sign of things to come?) can be found on Crack the Skye and in the end, it’s quite gratifying, even mildly striking.

Across the board, Crack the Skye is evident of a band honing in on a sound all their own. The flow of this thing is unreal, seemless, even. It starts with “Oblivion,” which might have the band’s best chorus to date, helmed by guitarist/vocalist Brett Hinds’ old-soul melodies and relaxed, at-ease vibe. In fact the vocal interplay between Hinds and bassist Troy Sanders makes this album go – just check out the hazy prog sing-off during closer “The Last Baron.”

Lead single “Divinations” fits right into the pocket of the band’s past output, as drummer Brann Dailor lays out one dazzling fill after the next, oftentimes coming dangerously close to throwing the tempo off, only to find his back home. The four-part “The Czar” (loosely based on the live of Russia’s famed Rasputin) is well-executed across the board and has a host of killer Southern-fried rock riffage.

A Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden) production job makes Crack the Skye sound like an actual album. It’s orchestrated, produced and pisses all over any and all Pro-Tools dominated creations of late.

Crack the Skye could be the tipping point for Mastodon, as it dangerously starts to move away from pure metal (not like they ever were “pure”) and down a less traveled, even less popular road. Going prog is major risk and Crack the Skye is a risky album, but the rewards and savory, eyebrow raising listens are worth it.

www.mastodonrocks.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

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