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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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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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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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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)

Wolf – Ravenous (Century Media Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Wolf – Ravenous (Century Media Records)

Wolf is not the first band mentioned when discussion opens on retro metal, but by golly, they’re probably the best throwback metal band going. Starting with 2002’s signpost Black Wings, the Swedes have taken proto Maiden melodies, the songwriting smarts of Priest, and the tongue and cheek of Helloween and rolled into one solid ball of rock. The follow-up to 2006’s strong The Black Flame, Ravenous is not a step forward, rather a lateral move, which is what you’re supposed to do when paying homage to the greats.

Singer/guitarist/mainman Niklas Stalvind’s vocals remain the real selling point with Wolf. While the band is not afraid to dole out twin g’s at the drop of a hat (see opener “Speed On” and “Secrets We Keep”), it is Stalvind’s tenacious classic metal throat that makes the killer “Voodoo” and fun “Mr. Twisted” go. Stalvind never gets in the way of a good riff or has to over-extend himself, which is probably why he’s so effective.

Lots of nods to Maiden on this one, moreso than on previous releases. Starting with “Curse You Salem,” an indirect, but probably direct nod “Wrathchild,” Wolf is most at home when weaving fiery twin harmonies. “Whiskey Psycho Hellions” and “Hail Caesar” are two additional cuts that drive home this point, especially the former, which sees Stalvind and fellow guitarist Johannes Axeman trade some rather tasty licks.

In regards to this scribe’s statement that Wolf are the best throwback metal band going, it’s true primarily in the sense it all sounds fresh. Wolf take a little bit of everything that is right in the classic metal world, exploit it to the fullest, then move onto the next thing. Ravenous. And while the words “fresh” and “classic metal” seem like oil and water, Wolf torch this notion. That’s why they’re the best at what they do.

www.wolf.nu

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Heaven and Hell – The Devil You Know (Rhino Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Heaven and Hell – The Devil You Know (Rhino Records)

Heaven And Hell, Black Sabbath, Dio and the boys. Whatever you want to call it, there’s been high anticipation for this release – a tour which absolutely blew away everyone who caught them live, some new properly goodsongs on the greatest hit’s collection (The Dio Years) and anticipation was exchanged for excitement in many corners. Would this be a nostalgia trip or would they actually get it right if they recorded a full length? Well, we finally have the answer in the form of The Devil You Know which features some of the best cover artwork going in a long time.

So while it’s great to have Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice together, putting out new material but let’s not get utterly blinded by the bluster and bright lights. ‘The Devil You Know’ is far from perfect (although having heard just ‘Bible Black’ you might be convinced otherwise), but then it’s also got some killer tracks too.

It’s an album that tends to hit both extremes, the only difference being that these guys are so long in the game that you’ve heard all their mistakes before and you love them a little for it. So even at its worst The Devil You Know is still enjoyable. Nonsense Dio lyrics and filler Iommi riffs are still better than most. That being said The Devil You Know is going to get a lot of chances to make an impact, more so than something by a new unknown band and this inclination towards repeated listens will work in it’s favour, since there’s more than a few ready made classics on here champing at the bit and rearing to be let loose.

Opening track “Atom And Evil” is a big slow doom monster with Dio wailing his metal lungs out and while not a knock out track as such it sets the pulse racing nicely. “Bible Black” starts off all slow and acoustic before dragging in a hulking, slightly spinning riff courtesy of Iommi, who’s on fire throughout this one, even ripping out a rather stylish solo. An epic lasher of a tune, it’ll wrap its wicked heart around you, the bass and drums working together into an unobtrusive yet solid foundation. Live, this is going to be brilliant, you can already tell. No wonder they’re using it as their calling card.

Then there’s “Double The Pain” which has a weird bass effect at the start, moves into a nice doomy bit, kicks off into an old school metal part then stumbles into a bit of a shit chorus to be honest. But surprisingly it’s still pretty good. Nothing great, more like one of the forgettable tracks off Dio’s Master Of The Moon album, it’s a standard mid-album filler. And that’s generally how it goes. Some sheer bad-ass songs, some fairly bad songs, but you’re going to listen to them anyway a few times to be sure. There will be some songs you skip after a few listens. Well worth the cash though.

The big disappointment – the lack of Dio ad libs, but his voice is phenomenal. The man is made of solid rock. “My sunshine is wind, rain and thunder.” Epic. Okay so “Rock And Roll Angel” is a bit rubbish and even Dio’s voice doesn’t seem to be up to it and it’s got some of his warbling, nonsense, the “perfect angels in the dark” passage is pants. And Iommi doesn’t entirely help out much either sometimes, but to have expected this album to be entirely brilliant would have been stupid. “You been wishing for the magic sign, here’s where you will find your rock and roll angel” and “perfect strangers in the dark, waiting for their lives to start, but just before the dream begins, you MUST confess your sins, yeah!’” – surprised. “Soon to see the holy one, can he really block the sun’” – oh dear, even for his holy majesty himself that one’s a bit rubbish. “The Turn Of The Screw” has a few polished moments, but it’s also far from perfect and “Eating The Cannibals” is also a bit forgettable.

But when they do it right, by Christ, is it good. “Follow The Tears” opens with a big evil riff, some moody organs and the thud of the bass. This is what we wanted more of. It then kicks off with a savage slow head banger courtesy of Iommi, before erupting into the main riff a big beauty and Dio beckoning you to ‘come lie on a bed of nails and slumber’. Yeah! Utterly brilliant. It’s actually possible they put a few dodgy songs on here to make the good ones sound even better. Then there’s that massive doomy chorus that rolls down even as Dio perks up. You can picture him throwing all sorts of cool shapes with his long sleeves and big cuffs. “If you want to know where I’ve been hiding all these years, follow the tears” and the sort of riff that Alice In Chains would have given up everything for. Really how did Ozzy get away with it for so long while these guys were off on the peripheries?

Closer “Breaking Into Heaven” is a big rocking song too that once again combines all the best elements of these four working as a fine machine. “We just found the keys and we’re breaking into Heaven” – yes you did. Occasionally you dropped them, but in general you’ve got the key right in the lock. Not that it matters, because you’re going to buy this anyway knowing full well that even at their worst, Heaven & Hell/Black Sabbath are better than most of the shit you’ll hear today, seeing as there’s a good chance they inspired not only the good bands, but the bad ones too. Great to have them back and hopefully the next one will be better. Roll on the summer and a tour.

www.heavenandhelllive.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Altar of Plagues – White Tomb (Profound Lore Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Altar of Plagues – White Tomb (Profound Lore Records)

At times, White Tomb just floors you. Just like Isis did circa Panopticon or Cult of Luna when they’re not fucking around. Yeah, it drifts into metalgaze territory more than once and that’s fine, but that black metal smear gives it more of an edge than any of the aforementioned bands can be bothered with. White Tomb is ragged, apocalyptic (a word we could probably beat into the ground), and highly cinematic. Above all else, it’s an early career defining moment for a band just starting to take a peak out of its Irish homeland.

Conceptually, White Tomb details the endless beating planet earth (i.e. “White Tomb”) has taken the last several centuries and how mankind is content to let its treasured cultures and landmarks die. While it’s nothing new, the ferocity and utter conviction in which Altar of Plagues lays this out makes almost impossible not to latch onto.

Sonically, wow, I mean, this album is gigantic. Big drums, crushing, in-your-face guitars, and enough open space to make massive chasms in any soundscape. Plus, there are hints and dabbles of spacey, cryptic melodies in this four-song block (you guessed it: they’re all long) to allow it to hold up well over time.

Some black metal meanderings emerge in brief moments, usually captured in a frenzied blast portion or scathing chord structures. When the band is through with that, the tempo is pulled back and the storm clouds move in. Heck, even a noise/experimental section in “Watchers Restrained” works, and that’s usually the type of nonsense that kills albums like this.

White Tombs simply explodes the sonic boundaries developed by the metalgaze scene. It’s more than that, obviously and its tenacity and all-consuming apocalyptic aura will bring anyone down. Massive.

www.myspace.com/altarofplagues

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

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