New Music Report – November 19, 2020
This past week has been a pretty big one for new music, I suppose all of this year’s releases are beginning to wind down as the holidays come up and people are starting to think of their end of year lists, but that doesn’t mean the energy or quality from any of these records is dwindling or lacking in any way, in fact every single album here is incredibly special in its own right, and can deliver a little something for just about every taste.
Killer Be Killed – I’m always somewhat dubious of supergroups, some of them end up being pretty good, or at least fun, but they’re usually either a flash in the pan sort of thing, or just don’t live up to the hype that the individual pieces bring to the table. But this year has been challenging that opinion pretty hard. And funny enough, just about every band that’s been pushing the envelope features a member of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Take from that what you will. This, however, is even crazier. Killer Be Killed features Greg Puciato from The Dillinger Escape Plan, Ben Koller from Converge, Troy Sanders from Mastodon, and Max Cavalera from Sepultura/Soulfly. Which is basically the who’s who of important metal bands of the past two or three decades. And the final product is really remarkable, especially considering all members except Koller share vocal duties on every track. It seems overwhelming on paper, but that’s never the case, it truly feels like cohesive package, playing on all their individual strengths while still working very hard feel like a band, rather than a group of individuals, to create a complete, captivating album that absolutely rips.
Bilmuri – So this is a little embarrassing, I thought this project was a joke project for way too long. I guess between the whole aesthetic, the name, and the fact that it’s the solo project of an ex-member of Attack Attack!, I thought the whole thing was meant to be a bit silly. And I suppose it is, to a degree – there is a pan flute breakdown – but man this is fantastic. There is actually a ton of thought and talent put into this project, the song writing is incredible; some incredibly well done mix between pop and post-hardcore that most post-hardcore bands could only dream of. It’s wonderfully weird and eccentric and absolutely blew away whatever expectations I had from this EP; this is just incredibly high quality music. I mean, we always knew Johnny Franck was incredibly talented from his days in Attack Attack!. Say what you will about that band’s style, they knew how to write incredibly catchy songs, and Franck was really the driving force behind that. And those song writing chops have really had a chance to shine with Bilmuri, and it’s just as impressive as ever.
Tombs – Alright, this one is kind of a handful and trying to explain the genre will make me sound like a bit of a pretentious ass, so bear with me, but they’re basically black metal-based and death metal influenced with post metal structuring and composition and strong, gritty sludge and doom metal elements mixed in. There’s no real streamlined way to say that. But, as much of a mouthful as it may be, it’s incredible. Albums like this are one of the reasons why I write this post every week. This is for sure going to fly under way too many people’s radars, but I sincerely hope this motivates someone to go check it out. It’s actually unfair to try and associate this band too closely with black metal cause so much gets lost along the way and the criticism of the genre-bending elements that make this album so special really get in the way. So, you should really just think of this as a very dark, gritty, and unique metal album, not exactly the sum of its pieces, but something entirely new and in that sense, pretty special, as well. It may take a little bit to truly get in to this album, but it is well worth the effort.
Pg.lost – I now post rock as a whole can be sort of polarizing to some people, while I happen to love it, a lot of people don’t find the long, meandering song arrangements and slow burn builds to be captivating in any way. There are a few exceptions to this rule; bands that can stick true to to the ethos of post rock and post metal while still keeping the music at a rolling boil throughout, and pg.lost are one of the best at that. Rather than embracing the scarcity and open space that some post rock bands lean on, pg.lost layer an incredible mix of post metal, shoe gaze, synth leads, and some occasional ambient to set a foundation. It’s a fascinating mix of so many different sounds and influences, creating an incredibly deep composition of feelings and soundscapes, from thundering post metal to a Mogwai-esq synth driven post rock. But whatever form the music takes, it’s an especially dynamic and immersive take on post metal, leaving more and more to be discovered and felt on every listen.
Dark Tranquility – Man, this one takes me back. As soon as I put this record on it felt like I was in middle school discovering bands like In Flames, At the Gates, and indeed, Dark Tranquility for the first time. It was a really incredible time in the history of melodeath, and I really do revel in any chance I get to relive the heyday of the genre. But it’s kind of unfair to proceed without recognizing that those days have indeed passed, and I can never hear Clayman for the first time ever again. But Dark Tranquility have always been that solid landmark in melodeath, while others went off to transform their sound, Dark Tranquility just kinda stayed the same. You always knew what to expect from their next album. Now, whether this lack of progress (or reliable consistency) is a bad thing or not is entirely up to you, but after a while you do kind of want something fresh. This album… Well, this album isn’t that. It’s a small step in the right direction; it has a bit more depth than the old standard, but at its core, it’s still basically the same thing. But honestly, I’ll take it. It was very enjoyable, if mostly for the nostalgia.
Phoebe Bridgers – This EP doesn’t actually feature any new music, but instead reimagined songs off Punisher, her absolutely breathtaking album from earlier this year. These four songs have been redone as acoustic tracks with string arrangements. As usual, they’re incredible. Again, it’s nothing new, but if you like Phoebe Bridgers even a fraction as much as I do, it’s at least worth checking out.
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New Music Report – November 13, 2020
Well, this week was an interesting one. There are only a few albums really worth talking about this week, but this might still be my most diverse new music post from this year. Which is actually really cool cause everything I’m writing about here is absolutely top notch incredible. Every artist here is an absolute legend, and whether you’re familiar or not, worth a listen.
Aesop Rock – I may be mistaken, but I believe this is actually the first hip hop album that I’m writing about this year, and man is this a good one. Now, of course, everyone knows Aesop from being the guy that’s a monumental outlier on the hip hop vocabulary infographic that went around a few years ago, but he’s so much more than an extended volume dictionary. There’s something just so strange and wonderful about his writing style, his flow, and his delivery; and this album takes that to the next level by introducing an entire concept album dynamic – providing a guide for navigating the spirit world – making this album perhaps even more inaccessible than his others. But there is an obvious brilliance in that complexity and it’s hard not to be left in awe after hearing this album. There’s just so much to love about Aesop, from his prodigious vocabulary, to the way he crafts those words into absolutely brilliant, flowing stories, and perhaps most important, his ability to make you feel a bit of everything, from the deepest themes, to truly lighthearted songs about simple things like back pain and Alf references that leave you with a smile. This album runs the whole gamut, it’s got a bit of everything and is truly remarkable piece of music, marking yet another high point on a quarter century long career devoid of a single blemish.
Jesu – Earlier this year, Jesu released a very interesting EP that was sort of an experimental, almost glitch hop EP which is, admittedly, a huge departure from the drone/shoegaze/post metal that we’re used to from him. This full length, however, is back to the beautiful, yet bleak hopelessness that makes Jesu so captivating. So much so, in fact, that it’s almost jarring in its heavy, depressive atmosphere, droning on in a lo-fi static and glacial riffs with occasional, tastefully composed and incredibly emotive vocals. Overall, though, this album is a fairly sparse but absolutely beautifully cultivated wasteland; it’s never overwhelming, but what does mark the soundscape is incredibly deliberate and packs a lot of weight into its simplistic movements. I know none of this sounds terribly appealing, but trust me, this is an incredible album. It’s deeply moving, almost beautiful at times, as it stands cold, stark, and honest; contemplative in its vastness, begging you to fill the spaces in between as the music echoes on, seemingly infinitely into the despondent ether. If that’s the sort of crushing loneliness you want to hear and feel, then this album is absolutely perfect.
Katatonia – This is a live album, and like I said, I generally don’t really cover those, but if you’re looking for a very well done primer on Katatonia or are a long-time fan and want a very well done live album covering their entire career, then check this one out.
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New Music Report – November 6, 2020
This week is full of super weird, eclectic music. Somehow, we’ve got two albums from Iceland. Both incredibly different from one another but individually remarkable, along with a couple other one off things that I don’t normally cover, but these were special enough to warrant a mention.
Olafur Arnalds – This is an incredibly beautiful album. Written as a solo project by Icelandic multi-instrumentalist, it actually has strong influences from Iceland’s biggest export: Sigur Ros. So, imagine really lovely, ethereal, atmospheric ambient/post rock/electronic pieces with light keys and strings layered over top, plus a few really wonderful guest spots from artists like Bonobo. This is not an in your face record by any means, but instead, as the album title Some Kind of Peace would suggest, it’s absolutely delightful and peaceful, while also taking on a grand, cinematic feel and exuding that sort of feel of cold, solitary positivity that you really only seem to be able to find in Icelandic music. The whole album is incredibly simplistic, but I think that is probably the real source of its beauty, it is never overdone, never rushed, never complicated, it is merely a wonderfully grounding musical journey. I’ve honestly had this album on repeat for hours and hours this past week and it just never gets old. Not because of how it sounds – which is still spectacular – but because of how it makes you feel, and right now, that feels incredibly important.
Solstafir – Coincidentally, this is the second Icelandic band that I’m covering this week, but Solstafir could not possibly be any more different than the last album. This is much less of a benign, peaceful journey and honestly much less accessible. There is actually quite a bit of depth going on in this album and it’s really hard to fully grasp it on the first listen. In fact, the first time through, I actually turned it off. But I went back through and gave it another shot, and now after about three full listens, I can firmly conclude that this album is brilliant. Too brilliant to be taken in in a single listen but is well worth the effort in the end. It’s incredibly diverse and dynamic with a huge range of sounds and influences, primarily based on a post-black metal/post rock sound, with folk and even some hardcore influences, and vocals in both English and Icelandic, it’s kind of all over the place. But when you stop trying to quantify it and just experience it as a singular, cohesive piece, however deep it may be, the intent becomes clear, and the album really takes on a special tone that really needs to be experienced.
Underoath Live Album – I almost never cover things like live albums in these posts, but I felt like this one was worth a mention. It’s a live album of Underoath’s Lost in the Sound of Separation from the live stream series the band did over the summer. Honestly, I don’t feel like I need to explain how amazing this album is, so if you’re an Underoath fan, you know it’s worth checking out.
System of a Down Singles – Much like live albums, I also rarely include singles in these posts, but this one felt important. Not only are these singles the first new music we’ve gotten from System of a Down in 15 years, but it was released as a fundraiser for the Armenia Fund. Much like Lost in the Sound of Separation, SOAD is so iconic that it’s really beyond commentary, this is exciting news no matter how you look at it, it’s just a shame it took such a devastating atrocity to bring it to fruition. Definitely check it out and consider supporting the band and their contributions to the Armenia Fund.
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New Music Report – October 30, 2020
Apologies for interrupting your regularly scheduled doomscrolling, but I wanted to share some new music from this past week. There were actually quite a few albums here that I was really looking forward to and for the most part they were really good.
Emma Ruth Rundle/Thou – What began as a one-off collaborative set at Roadburn Festival last year became a full-fledged project that caused quite a stir when it was announced. Both ERR and Thou are incredibly well respected, and there was absolutely no question that this project would end up producing a dark, brooding masterpiece. It’s worth noting that this absolutely does not sound like Thou with a guest vocalist, but really a whole new project in itself, that takes strong influence from the most brilliant parts of either act while being entirely unique. There are incredibly huge ebbing highs and lows, from crushing, sludgy riffs to lighter folk or post punk passages, creating a meticulous and cohesive sound from two fundamentally different styles. In short, it highlights what makes them both great and brings them together and a perfect marriage of two complimentary but still fairly disparate sounds and the product of this meshing of inspired and unique takes on heavy music is absolutely sublime, haunting, and mesmerizing from start to finish. And more surprising still, it somehow managed to surpass even my incredibly lofty expectations of the potential of this project.
Like Moths to Flames – I’m not going to lie, I really like Like Moths to Flames, but I also felt like their scope was somewhat limited and part of them was still stuck in the Rise Records/Joey Sturgis cookie cutter metalcore era that they emerged from. Now, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is your perspective. But still, 10 years on, the sound has some nostalgic value. So that’s basically the value I was expecting to get from the album. Thankfully, it’s so much more than that. I wouldn’t say it’s groundbreaking, necessarily, but it’s very, very good. And frankly, while I enjoyed their last album, I’m glad they sacrificed a bit of catchiness for straight up riffage on the new album. Just about every track is a straight up banger; very well written, interesting composition, very good dynamic range both instrumentally and vocally, etc. It’s everything you want from a good, heavy metalcore record from one of the bands that have really left their mark on the genre over the past decade. I know the vocals are a little low in the mix, that’s a bit annoying, but that’s honestly the worst thing I have to say about this, so it’s more than worth listening to.
Puscifer – I wanted to give this one a shot. I’m pretty hit or miss on Tool in general, but Maynard has some interesting projects and despite being obnoxious and pretentious, sometimes they’re worth listening to, but man, I just couldn’t do this one. Not my thing. And from what I’ve heard, even people that do like Puscifer have been very ‘meh’ on this album. Good lord this is boring. And like, I listen to some very objectively boring music, I listen to Sunn O))) FOR FUN. It sounds like a demo track made in Garage Band titled “New Idea 5 (rough)”.
Draconian – This band is so god damn cheesy, but I love it. They’re basically goth/doom metal though, so honestly it suits them so well. Their sound has always just been so god damn epic, really nailing that often misused metal trope that juxtaposes heavy chugging riffs and gritty screams with soaring melodies and operatic clean vocals. But not many of attempts can really come close to what these guys have been doing for more than two decades now. I feel like the added gloom and weight from the doom influences complimenting the goth metal tones are really what makes it click with these guys, but regardless the final product is incredibly special. This album is actually a bit softer than other works from them, leaning a bit more heavily on the gorgeous clean vocals, but I’d hardly knock that as a bad thing, it’s just slightly less of a balance. Either way though, the album itself is brilliant and incredibly beautiful. I really don’t think this band gets nearly enough recognition for the truly excellent and innovative work that they do; all of the elements they work into their sound, from funeral doom, to atmospheric black metal, to melodeath, to goth metal all while layered with an incredibly complex and complimentary vocal dichotomy. This was really excellent.
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New Music Report – October 23, 2020
After a slow week for new music last week, we’re back up to speed this week with four very exciting releases. This week also has a fairly serious tone, with a couple very politically charged EPs from two of the most progressive bands out there. I loved all of these albums, but those EPs in particular feel very important, not only to music, but to the current political and social climate, and for that reason alone, I couldn’t recommend those any more. But everything that came out this week has been fantastic.
Pallbearer – Full disclosure, I LOVE Pallbearer. They’re one of the best doom metal bands out there and not a single person can convince me otherwise. For years now, they’ve been at the forefront of the genre pushing the boundaries of how people played with and stretched an otherwise fairly straightforward genre. For the most part, you can get away with just playing down-tuned Sabbath riffs in half time and you’ve got the idea, but no, Pallbearer have been using prog, sludge, and atmospheric elements paired with soaring vocals to create and absolutely HUGE sound and adding a dimension to the genre that is frequently missing, making their albums that much more complex and interesting. That said, based off the singles, I was a bit worried this new album would lean a little too heavy on the prog elements and kind of get lost within itself through long, unnecessarily complicated song structures and aimless instrumental pieces, but the final product is anything but. It’s complex and elaborate but never feels aimless, the final product is very cohesive and further proves why these guys are the best in the game.
Fever 333 EP – In a world where the daily reality we all face has become watching BIPOC being murdered by the police in real time on the news and live streams while they face absolutely zero consequences for their actions, the music industry is bound to respond with anger, passion, and action. And while we can’t count on Rage Against the Machine anymore, Fever 333 have come out, guns blazing, with even more ferocity and unrest. The energy here is absolutely immense. But what can you expect, really? This album came about as a result of the actions of the past few months, beginning with the murder of George Floyd and capturing the energy of the demands for civil justice that have taken over the street since that moment. The album is incredibly interesting, Fever 333 are kind of all over the place, experimenting with leaning even further into the hip hop side of things while holding on to their hardcore and punk roots, and even featuring slight nu metal stylistic cues here and there. But while they continue to carve out their sound, their message is clearer than ever.
Zeal & Ardor EP – Another excellent album released in response to the calls for civil justice over the past few months, though approached from a very different style. While Fever 333 are angry, energetic hardcore dudes, Zeal & Ardor are fueled by a much slower burning intensity, music at a slow boil rather than a raging fire, but the energy is still teeming over and strong enough to give you chills. This Avant Garde metal project harnesses the emotion behind African American spirituals, blues, gospel, and soul music, and infuses it with pieces from all corners of extreme music, from harsh black metal, to straight up death metal. It’s honestly beyond description, you really have to check it out for yourself. And when I say this album gave me chills, this absolutely is not an exaggeration. It captures the righteous anger and painful sadness that so many are feeling throughout the nation, and indeed the world, right now, and is able to articulate that into a strange intensity that inspires as much as it hurts.
Salem EP – This one was a really cool surprise. I’d never heard of these guys before this week, but I checked out their album on a whim; it just screamed horror punk to me, and since spooky season is in full swing, and I happen to absolutely love old horror punk, I had to give it a listen. Now, when I say horror punk, I mean horror pop punk, more along the lines of Alkaline Trio, MCR, Tiger Army, and MAYBE Art of Drowning-era AFI, not to be mistaken for stuff like the Misfits or anything heavier like that. Which means this EP is light-hearted and fun with some rockabilly, Americana type vibes with some excellent hooks and an unmistakable pop punk swagger laden with lyrics about love and murder. I fucking love it. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is no real depth to this album, it’s just good fun, but I can tell you with complete certainty that this is going to be on non-stop repeat for me for the rest of October, at the very least. This band is actually the side project of the front man from UK-based band, Creeper, who are only a shade or two poppier than Salem and sound like they should be opening for My Chem, but with very much the same feel, so if you’re into them by any chance, or you love old school Alk3 and AFI like I do, check this out, I swear you won’t regret it.
The Wonder Years – Ok, this is another unconventional addition to this list, but it’s The Wonder Years so I gotta do it. This isn’t an album, but a couple new singles, but it’s a bit more special than that. This is the 10 year anniversary of both The Upsides and Suburbia – they sound quite different, but they were released within a year of each other – and The Wonder Years wanted to celebrate the two together. Obviously, COVID went and fucked all of that up, but they still wanted to do something special. They found some old notes for songs that they began to write but never finished during the recording of each of these albums and decided to write a song using those old notes, but not just any song. 2020 Wonder Years took those notes and wrote the sort of song 2010 Wonder Years would have written, and the result is, well, it’s incredible. I mean, I’m absolutely in love with everything this band does, but this is a wonderful intersection of two very, very different but equally important phases in this band’s history, and hearing the modern, mature take on the classic Wonder Years style is just so cool. This release is just the first song, “Brakeless”, they were both supposed to be released in December, but TWY did a voter registration drive and said they’d release one song early if they could get 1,000 people to register to vote, so bonus points for a good cause, as well.
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New Music Report – October 16, 2020
This has been an uncharacteristically slow week for new music. This time of year is usually loaded with great new albums, but I’ve actually only got one album to talk about this week. I’m sure there are others, so if I missed something that you liked, I’d love to hear about it. Otherwise, this one is still worth checking out.
Kingdom of Giants – This isn’t going to sound very good, but this is one of those albums that’s enjoyable if you just really don’t think about it too hard. In fact, it’s very similar to the Fit For a King album that I reviewed a few weeks ago. It’s the textbook definition of slightly mainstream-facing generic metalcore, which is to say metalcore with clean vocals and some light post hardcore influences. But, of course, I have to put a strong emphasis on the “generic” bit. It’s not a remarkable album, but it’s a fun album, and it’s an enjoyable album. It’s not going to end up on any Album of the Year lists, but I’ve given it a few spins and I liked what I heard. There really wasn’t anything that stood out, with the exception of perhaps some Northlane-inspired synths that are starting to become all the rage in some corners of metalcore. And if I’m honest, you can see flashes of brilliance in this album, it sets the foundation for a future that really could be impressive if they start to take some chances, but there aren’t enough of those moments to make this album stand out to any significant degree. I know it sounds like I’m just trashing this album, but I’m really not. It’s a remarkably average and unoffensive album for people that just want to listen to store brand metalcore and hear some breakdowns and catchy hooks in the choruses. It’s perfect for that. When comparing it to their labelmates on Sharptone that have also dropped albums just this year and absolutely mastered the genre, it doesn’t have the technical prowess of Currents, it doesn’t have the innovation of Loathe, it doesn’t have the energy of Polaris, it’s just… metalcore. And sometimes that’s alright too, I suppose, they’re just gonna have a hard time standing out among that sort of company.
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