Elysian Blaze - Blood Geometry

Another double album and one I have been anticipating for years. Elysian Blaze's new album 'Blood Geometry' is one of those albums that has been about six years in the making. Maybe it was due to their label closing down and that's why it has taken till now to finally come out, but I was beginning to think this album would never see the light of day. Thankfully Osmose Productions picked this album which probably turned out to be a win for Mutatiis in the end.

What you get here is an album that envisions chaos, destruction, but with a sound that feels a bit condensed to make you think that you are in a temple so dark that you can't see the stone walls and ceilings caving in slowly before rushing in. You can only feel yourself being crushed. The sound of these riffs is just that, noisy thuds slowly belting into walls before they can cause everything to rumble, fall and crash quickly to a hill of rubble. Sometimes tremolo riffs will simmer in the background and come off like dirt and dust spilling down the hill of rubble. But the riffs can even become sorrowful (midway in 'Sigils That Beckon Death' for example), which reflects the sad side to all the devastation taking place.

The interesting thing though is that the cold and chilling piano and synth work on this opus feel as though they are orchestrating this disaster. When the chaos comes in, it is the piano and synths that stand out the most and when the quiet moments arrive, they provide the soundtrack for the view from above that slowly pans over the landscape of destruction. It sounds so dark and haunting and a touch of evil sprinkles from the notes being played.

Just when you think the night will finally become quiet, the chaos returns and all the other temples standing around this area begin to crumble to a million pieces as well, one by one. And again, it is the sprinkling notes of the piano that command this chaos. Sometimes a haunting choir will join in and provide that extra bit of power to force everything to crash down. So eerie.

Mutatiis voice works well in the way that it can feel as though he is playing different roles in this horror. The soft harsh whispers that hang in the background at times remind me of the injured crying for help under the rubble. The harsh yells are the hooded rebellious men who stand on the hills in the distance, cheering proudly and with strong emotion as they watch these temples collapse. Now they can finally build the perfect kingdom where they can worship their dark lords and perform their dark rituals without being bothered by those who believe in fake gods.

'Levitating The Carnal' was like steam slowly rising from heated blood that was oozing down an altar. The blood was then doused on the walls and left there till the stench was strong enough that it had to be taken down. 'Blood Geometry' is the moment when this structure is brought down, but not peacefully. And this wasn't orchestrated by people either, this is a mystery. Perhaps demons, or ghosts, or reapers were involved.

History shows that when new kingdoms form and worship changes hands, it is rarely done peacefully. The two hour long journey of 'Blood Geometry' may be that album to show us the day that true darkness finally takes over the world, only we wont be sleeping under newspaper blankets and eating scraps. We might be wandering the sands and fields, building new kingdoms after the bloodshed from the take over and worshiping the stars and the moon by lighting an enormous bonfire hoping the flames may reach them. Turn your lights out, lay down and let this black ritual haunt you throughout the night. One of the most darkest and haunting black metal albums in years.

Ikil

Baroness - Yellow & Green

Double albums are always going to be a challenging task, especially when you only have a couple of albums done prior and especially when you are going to 'change' your style. Baroness has taken what I see is a big 'risk' with the new album 'Yellow & Green'. Does the change in style and the double album pay off? I will talk about that at the end.

I always felt as though Baroness was living in the shadows of Mastodon. They always tend to get comparisons to them but I for one have never found them to be complete clones. It is interesting though and probably coincidence that they would take a more 'mainstream' approach to their sound right of the back of Mastodon's 'The Hunter' last year which took a more mainstream direction as well. Again, I will revisit this topic at the end.

'Yellow & Green' is much softer than what 'Red Album' and 'Blue Record' are. Even the heavy moments on this album don't have that edge they had before, but it isn't meant to. Instead the songs are laced more with catchy and memorable melodies, reminding me of post rock and a more hard rock side. 'Yellow' reminds me of a soundtrack to autumn, driving through a road along the woods where the yellow leaves, that have fallen from the now leafless trees, have formed mounds and they have all lined up along the road.

What the softer side does is it gives these melodies a chance to settle in my mind more thanks to the effects and just being so enjoyable. The soft side lets the bass play a more prominent role and at times it feels like it is the lead point on songs like 'Little Things' and 'Cocainium' for example, which I pay a lot of attention too considering how much I like the melodies. The heavier side even lets you take in the fuzz more and the buzz of solos doesn't feel as awkward as they did on 'Blue Record'.

I don't find a bad song here either and I must say, They are all memorable and all have their 'moments' and I am enjoying these songs more than their on previous works. Sure, it might seem that way because of this change in style but that is not the case. These aren't pop songs.

'Green' brings to mind when spring has arrived. Yes, we skipped winter but it isn't needed here. 'Green Theme' has probably the heaviest moment on the album and just feels like the grass has become green again on the hills and the trees have sprouted and become glorious and full of green leaves again. The main difference I pick up between 'Yellow' and 'Green' is 'Green' tends to play around with the electronics and effects more and it is done well. I dig that slight echo effect of 'Mtns. (The Crown & Anchor)', feels old. The songs are also slower in tempo and I'd even go as saying they are softer than 'Yellow'. I even get a more lifting feel on 'Green' than 'Yellow'. The energy in 'Green Theme' and 'Board Up The House' help that.

Again, I like all the songs. Everything from the riffs, lyrics, it is all catchy and memorable. The bass again plays a great role in leading your interest to it given how cool the guitar melodies are. Overall, 'Yellow' sticks in my mind more and probably the easier to take in. 'Green' takes time and does need to grow on you because of the experimentation with the electronic elements. Now that it has, it is excellent.

A softer side might make one think that the distinct passion and feel in Baroness might have changed or be lost here. That passion and feel is still here. Just hear the energy in John's voice when he throws it forward in a song like 'Psalms Alive', 'The Line Between' or 'Eula' for example. At times calm and mellow and other times lifting the energy in the voice with great emotion. The times when the dual vocals come in only drives that passion further. And with plenty of catchy lyrics, you might want to join in on the chorus too.

So does all this pay off? Oh yeah! This will surely take Baroness to new heights. Their fan base will grow (and deservedly so) and that will definitely go beyond the metal scene where the core of their fan base is. Don't be surprised if a major label picks them up too. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they become more popular than Mastodon. Is this a bad thing? I don't think so. Many of us complain about what dominates the mainstream music area and how our favourite heavy musicians don't get the full acknowledgment they deserve. Baroness can be one of those bands that show how heavy bands can write more 'accessible' music just as well without the pressure of big record execs. Remember, Baroness is still on Relapse so there is no 'selling out' going on here as one may suggest. No doubt this album will bring out the fans who like Baroness for their music and not for their heaviness.

In the end, how I feel about this album is definitely summed up here. This is the best thing they have done so far and this will be one of my albums of the year. Not much more can be said.

Ikil

Ihsahn - Eremita

I'd say the biggest highlight of my first trip overseas two years ago was getting to see Ihsahn play the Inferno Festival in Norway. My favourite musician would put on the best musical performance of the festival (most entertaining went to Mayhem hehe) and even more cement his place, for me, as being the most accomplished musician to come out of the black metal scene. 'Eremita' is the new album from Ihsahn and yet again another outstanding showcase of Ihsahn's talents.

Again, like the other Ihsahn albums, the guitar playing is that distinct technical style I have always enjoyed about the music Ihsahn has been involved in. Whether it be a shredding tremolo riff hovering in the background of a song or those sweeping technical ones twisting and turning before the subtle harmonic comes out of no where. The acoustic melodies that twinkle and sprinkle like dust from the ceiling in a dark room. Ihsahn knows exactly how to execute the perfect balance between technical riffing or just pulling off a really good catchy riff that is really effective. Look at a song like 'Introspection' for example. Nothing ever seems out of place.

Even the different atmospheres he can convey. A melancholy acoustic melody that can emerge into an evil lead break or tip toe like melody. A soothing harmony in his clean voice that breaks out into his necro Starscream like shriek. He hasn't lost his touch anywhere. The almost nine minute long epic 'The Eagle And The Snake' which encompasses all those atmospheres as well as the demented buzz of Jorgen Munkeby's saxophone, which again returns to the fray throughout the album. The bass work even comes off as disjointed from time to time. Think of 'Catharsis' where the bass line plods around like a confused soul scampering around a dark room.

The synth work doesn't appear to stand out as much this time around but it really takes full course in the song 'Something Out There' where it battles out with the disjointed soaring riffs. Reminds me of Emperor a lot in these moments with how chaotic it can be at times. 'Grief' is also some chilling work.

I have to make mention of 'The Grave' with its doom like opening and where Ihsahn's voice is the most torturous yet. The saxophone is just mental. The snares, toms and cymbals all shiver. The gigantic steps of the bass like a giant black boot marking its prints on the mud covered concrete. Also the twisted 'Departure' that opens sombre like and then snapping  and having a mental breakdown before calming down.

Perhaps, overall, I see this album as a journey into the many different feelings we experience in our life time. Sure, the positive ones might be missing a lot here somewhat, but Ihsahn has again represented the others wonderfully here. He again is a step above the rest. For all the jabs you read about black metal, is there any other genre that has evolved so incredibly like it has thanks to amazing musicians like this man?

Ikil

Pallbearer - Sorrow And Extinction

Pallbearer's first full length 'Sorrow And Extinction' is perhaps the most sorrowful album I have come across this year. One that breeds pure sadness, breathes one final breath after being drained of everything they once had and wanders alone on an exhausting journey through a black tunnel to the afterlife.

A concluding paragraph to open these thoughts on the album. But a conclusion signifies The End and that is what this album could be based on. Coming to that End, of life, of everything. I am reminded a lot of Katatonia's 'Dance Of December Souls' in the way that it was practically the soundtrack to the darkest of lifes end. The main difference for starters here is that you don't have a tortured and painful voice leading the way. Instead you have the voice of Brett Campbell who simply lets out all his emotional pain and sorrow into every clean word that is sung. The way the notes in his voice shift and carry, thinking of those little lifts or yells in songs like 'Foreigner' and 'Devoid Of Redemption' almost come across like a dying man leading one to think that there might still be some life left in this one even if death is the likely outcome.

Nothing beats music when you can tell the feeling in it and feel with it. The lead work for example, thinking of a song like 'The Legend', building from one lead to twins at the start. How heartbreaking. The crushing bleak riffs slowly prodding along, like that lonely old man who moved from town to town trying to find a sense of belonging, only to find nothing and gave up. Not realizing though that he wasn't alone as the dark clouds were following him from town to town waiting for that breaking point so they could lift him into their grasp. It slowly drains and takes its toll. Even the dark tone in the riffs is gut wrenching, and the rumbling bass doesn't sit well inside either.

At times the riffs may dive deep into a black ocean and you just wonder if this could get any heavier and the tones could be any deeper. The leads mostly feel like a haze in the background of these crushing dives and soars which is great because you can really feel how heavy this is then. When the lead work does become the main focus, it is practically perfect as you just hang on for that moment when the crushing will start again. Just think of 'Given To The Grave'.

And sometimes for other albums as crushing as this can get, the drumming is usually like an implosion and just as heavy. But they don't need to be here on SAE, the riffs do all of that. The drums tend to sit back more and crash steadily. Like the old man is being clouded by second thoughts of if he should just take that plunge into the deep black ocean.

'Dance Of December Souls' is in my top three albums of all time. For me to be thinking of that album when I listen to 'Sorrow And Extinction' is a true indication of where this album sits for me. Extinction means something is gone, but at least you still remember it, and that is sometimes the worst thing. When we remember something that is gone, usually we feel the sadness in remembering when it left us and we didn't want that. Pallbearer has nailed this moment perfectly. Bleakness, sorrow and emotional pain all wrapped into one..

Ikil

Goatwhore - Blood For The Master

I'll admit that I am a little puzzled to what seems to be an ever growing fan base for Goatwhore. Don't get me wrong, it is good to see them finally getting more recognition, and being on Metal Blade, of course they would. Their latest album 'Blood For The Master' should certainly drive their popularity further.

Goatwhore has been pigeon holed amongst death/black metal bands for a few years now, but I have always found them to be more than that. Their first few albums especially always had a subtle crust vibe and even some of the riffs always had subtle doom trudges. As they have become more 'accessible' over the years, those elements seemed to have fallen away. On 'BFTM', I am hearing those elements again. The production still helps it sound 'accessible' to the ears, but who cares. It fucking rocks!

The first few songs rock out and tease with crusty black metal jabs and as the album progresses, things seem to get faster and the riffs become more scathing but can gallop or march out at times and pure black metal enters the fray. Perhaps the nail hammered into that arm has been dragged further up and now the blood is spilling and spitting out profusely. Even for the 'clean' sound, you can still feel the dark sickness, filth and grittiness oozing out of this record.

The dual vocal assault of Sammy and Ben continues to drive an interesting mix in the Goatwhore feel too. Blackened death growls that have a subtle hardcore edge to them which only further adds that, for a band that has a straight forward approach, delivers it to perfection considering all the different elements that linger around. Even the drumming does a good job to mix up the blasting and twirling fills with more rocking out beats.

No song really 'stands out' but that is because I like all the songs and there is plenty of mixture between those styles mentioned above that makes all the songs have an interesting appeal. Something that is firmly placed in black metal but the other styles lightly added in just gives the songs a bit more spice.

Like 'Carving Out The Eyes Of God', this isn't groundbreaking. Just another really solid, good album for a band that whilst being placed in the death/black metal picture, can still throw in their other influences in a subtle way and not sound all over the place. Hopefully Goatwhore can be the catalyst that exposes other bands doing similar (and in some cases better) and soon these other bands might get some more attention also.

Ikil

Nile - At The Gate Of Sethu

I will always hold a special spot for Nile as they were the first band that really opened the world of death metal to me with their album 'In Their Darkened Shrines' 10 years ago. To this day, that album is a sentimental favourite of mine due to its dark atmosphere, brutality and technical musicianship and it still remains the ultimate Nile album for me. 'Those Whom The Gods Detest' did relive some of that past glory for me so I was really keen to get my hands on the new album, 'At The Gate Of Sethu'.

If you know the drill with Nile, it is your usual showcase of heavy and brutal technical musicianship. The hints of tribal flavour still appear ('Slaves Of Xul' and 'Ethno- Musicological Cannibalisms') in the album but overall, it is what you expect. I can't help but always be blown away by those technical spinning riffs that transcend, slow down to dirge and crush. A lot of catchy riffs too, sometimes more memorable than previous albums. There is even the odd moment where the technicality transcends to lift, like a lifeless body being raised to ancient gods in sacrifice. The middle of 'The Gods Who Light Up The Sky At The Gate Of Sethu' is just... 'Wow!'. 

Vocally, I have found them to be more brazen here. The deep brutality still arrives from time to time but I am liking the more barbaric yell. Even some singing/chanting manages to find its way onto this album in the song 'The Fiends Who Come to Steal The Magick of the Deceased'. 'Sing along' moment much? Hehe. It is cool though.

Like the swift changes in the riffing, the drumming also changes gear many times, from the blistering kicks that switch to the blistering fills that sweep through the songs like twisters sweeping through the open deserts and ripping the pyramids apart with them. As usual, Nile make Ancient Egypt seem like the most devastating period of Earth's existence. Were things ever peaceful back then?

Production wise, I am a little unsure. I have always been use to that dark, condensed sound from this band. Dark and condense but so powerful and heavy that you understand why things seemed condensed in the first place. Well on ATGOS, things seem a little flat. Well, I don't think flat is the right word, but it doesn't feel as dark. It is not as condensed either and there for I am not feeling that powerfully brutal atmosphere I found on previous albums.

It is like you sat outside that pyramid for years waiting for that beast to escape from the dark tombs inside that had been on a brutal rampage only for when it does escape outside, you realize it wasn't a rampaging beast, but a crazy mummy. Doesn't seem as evil after all, right? I am not saying this is a bad thing though. Perhaps this 'lighter' atmosphere I find here is Nile trying to show that the violence is now taking to the desert rather than inside the tombs. Perhaps the pyramids have crumbled to the ground meaning the mummys and beasts can only run wild in the open now..

In the end, this is not a bad album at all. It is very good and it is growing on me a lot. It wont be one of my favourite Nile albums, but it is another worthy addition to their ever impressive catalogue. Just how far it may go to being one of my favourite albums this year? Who knows, time may tell. 

Ikil

Lord Mantis - Pervertor

Over the last few years, a few filthy blackened sludge bands have come along that have been very interesting to these ears. Just good albums you can go to every now and thrash out too. Coffinworm and Wolvhammer were filling that spot nicely and now Lord Mantis has entered that list with their latest album 'Pervertor'.

Normally something that sounds clean in production value can't come across so filthy. Well I am glad for this because it has given the instruments more space to move around. The variations in style therefor are much clearer and easier to take in, but still maintain that dirty, filthy edge. Take the more melodic side of 'Levia' or the pounding build up of 'Ritual Killer'.

I like how the riffs and drumming mix it up a little bit too. This isn't the typical rock the fuck out album you might think it is. Sometimes the songs will turn a bit and become a little disjointed (EG: 'At The Mouth'). I like this as it gives the album a twisted and demented side. Add the psychotic blackened vocals and deep throttling bass and that just makes things even more mentally unstable.

The faster paced, more jabbing songs like 'Pervertor Of The Will' and 'Septichrist' come across like someone having a bit of a psychotic break out and then frantically pacing around in all different directions when a song like 'Vile Divinity' kicks in and their head is spinning. Finally, they mellow down and become sedated whilst still being in deep dark thoughts when a song like 'Levia' comes in. Then the psychotic flip out has caused your brain to turn to mush. Yes, the soundtrack to an unstable soul that is ready to rot away.

And with that, you have just enough differences on this twisted effort to do justice for its seven songs at a little over 45 minutes. By the time you're done with this, the maggots may have reached your rotted body that that lays across the old and cold wooden floor.

Ikil