New Music Report – June 19, 2020
This week turned out to be a big one for new music. We’ve got a surprise comeback with Protest the Hero, a few album releases that had originally been delayed due to COVID (Lamb of God & Make Them Suffer), an epic doom album (Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin), and an absolutely lovely indie album (Phoebe Bridgers). A few of these kinda flew under my radar for a while, but this week turned out to be very impressive.
Protest the Hero – Protest the Hero have been through the ringer to get this album done over the last seven years or so. First, they went through a fundraising round to be able to release this album independently. And of course, they raised several magnitudes of their original goal, which left everyone very excited. Then, singer Rody Walker shredded his vocal chords, delaying recording. There was actually real concern about whether his voice would even be the same when he was finally able to record. But here we are and HOLY SHIT this album is nuts, I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting anything quite this impressive, I felt like all these delays would make this album lose its focus and shine, but it’s just bonkers. But even after all these years, no one can touch these guys. This is pure FIRE, I can say with no hesitation that this is one of their best, right up there with Fortress, which is an absolute masterpiece. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s all a bit cheesy, but that’s all part of PTH’s charm.
Phoebe Bridgers – I’m in love with this album, and honestly Phoebe Bridgers’ songwriting in general, but this just took it all to the next level. The way she can create such a pervasive atmosphere with her songs in such a sincere, intimate, and honest way is just endlessly charming. Her songs hit on such a personal level that you immediately feel incredibly familiar with every word. It’s a deeply emotional and profound experience. I’m also getting some Bon Iver vibes from the creativity in the instrumentation; the subtle complexity in the use of layering, and the overall feel and composition of these songs. This album is a lovely experience, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin – Bell Witch absolutely turned my world upside down in 2017 with Mirror Reaper, an absolutely MASSIVE 84 minute long funeral doom album. So naturally, I was already hooked on this one. This album is a collaboration between Bell Witch, and dark folk act, Aerial Ruin, which is such a cool combination, and the execution is spectacular. The added dynamics and warmth from Aerial Ruin’s vocals and folk influences adds so much complexity to this album that was sort of lacking from Mirror Reaper. I don’t think this is quite as massive – frankly, the mixing is a bit odd, and I think that lets it down a little bit – but overall I’m a huge fan of this collaboration.
Make Them Suffer – MTS are one of the most underrated bands here in America, but even further testament to my theory that Australian bands are just better. The cool thing about these guys is they’re always pushing the envelope; every album sounds new and fresh, and somehow, they always manage to pull it off flawlessly. And this album is no different. To that point, I’m having trouble drawing comparisons to their previous albums, and I can’t quite tell if this one will age as well, but I feel like that uniqueness is absolutely a positive trait and will give this album the legs to stand on its own for a long time to come. This is yet another incredibly impressive effort from these guys, and it’s nice to see the rest of the world finally starting to realize that.
Lamb of God – This was the first big album that I was really looking forward to that was pushed back due to coronavirus, so it’s great to finally get to listen to it. The singles were very strong, and overall the album lives up to that standard. Consistency is the name of the game for LoG, they’re always strong. That said, I think I was expecting them to push forward a bit more than they did; it feels like they played it safe at times. The drums – despite everyone’s concerns following the departure of Chris Adler – are excellent, Randy sounds better than ever, it’s got riffs for days, and the songwriting overall is excellent. But it kinda feels like it’s missing that something special that As Palaces Burn and Ashes of the Wake had. Again, Lamb of God can’t write a bad album, it’s still excellent, but when you’re held up to such a high standard, not every album will be your masterpiece, especially without some innovation.