New Music Report – July 2, 2021
Well, I’m running late again, but these past few weeks have done a number on me, but I’m doing my best to catch up here. Honestly, I can’t say I really mind stacking these weekly reviews like this though. At least in the case of this week’s worth of music, it’s really given me a chance to sit down with everything and really take it all in, and I’ve come away with a deeper appreciation for these albums because of it. I like the quick turnaround to keep everyone up to date, but the two albums I cover for this week are really very, very special, and deserved a few extra spins before I tried writing about them. Also, check out the singles from Eidola and BTBAM.
Born of Osiris – As I said, one of the benefits to me getting a bit behind schedule is that it gives me a chance to go beyond first impressions and really get a chance to get familiar with an album and see how it sits after a week or two and a good number of listens. And man, has this album gotten a good number of listens. This is absolutely one of the standout albums of the year for me, even after the initial luster had a chance to fade. First off, I’m not entirely sure how BOO decided that progressive metalcore needs saxophone, but I’m very glad they did. But beyond that very interesting but well executed inclusion, the whole album is an exercise in phenomenal technicality and songwriting ability. So many bands tend to lean one way or another, and I have to say, I’m in no way impressed with bands that are technically proficient but can’t write an interesting song to save their lives, but BOO have done an amazing job combining both elements into a masterclass of heavy music. Not that that should come as a surprise to anybody, but I cannot stress enough, this album is brilliant.
Year of No Light – This band is very cool, but they’ve mostly flown under the radar, even in relative terms with the post-metal scene, which largely flies under the radar in the first place. To give some context for this band, I discovered them back in 2012 when they released a drone album that was their creative interpretation of a soundtrack for the 1932 German movie, Vampyr. So, they’re a bit strange, but I love them. This new album continues some of those drone and ambient elements, using them to build a dark, eerie tension through the album, while layering them with more traditional post metal. Many post metal bands pride themselves on being the loudest bands out there, but Year of No Light is, in many ways, the embodiment of the opposite of that mantra. They carry their weight in the notes not played, and calculated moments of magnitude. This is a very, very special band, and I truly hope this album is appreciated as much as it deserves to be.
Singles/Albums – Eidola (Post-Hardcore), Between the Buried & Me (Prog Metal), At the Gates (LP, MeloDeath), Bilmuri (Live, Post-Hardcore), Fit for An Autopsy (Remaster, Deathcore), Turnstile (EP, Hardcore), Signs of the Swarm (Deathcore), Lil Lotus (Early-00s Pop Punk), Capstan (Post-Hardcore), We Butter the Bread with Butter (Electronicore)