If this was 2016 or, hell, even 2020, I would be writing some sort of impassioned speech here about the meaningless of hope and the even greater pointlessness of giving up. I would be railing against the world as we know it and what is has wrought, about the great injustice of our current way of life, and about the need to realize that none of our current systems are fit for human life. And I still think and feel all of those things but to be honest, I don't fee like writing. Why? I'm not sure. Maybe because I assume, or hope, that anyone reading this already knows all of that. Maybe because I'm just tired of explaining it to everyone I know. Or maybe because I'm plain tired.
But, and if you've read the blog for any meaningful amount of time, you probably know what comes next, there is still music. Does it solve anything? No. Does it change anything? No. But it does lift some pain. It does offer solace. It does make me feel a little less alone. And, hopefully, it makes you feel that as well. And, doubly so, the fact that I am here, writing to you about music, alongside the rest of the Heavy Blog editors and staff, hopefully that too makes you feel a little less alone.
Because, at the end of the day, you are not alone. Even if all you have are the revolutionary dead and their hope, you have them. And you have so much more. You have music!
-Eden Kupermintz
Dawnwalker - The Unknowing
Have you ever had an album sneak up on you? Like, you spin it for the first time and it’s definitely good but you don’t see yourself losing your mind over it. You add it to your playlist and go about your way. Maybe you check it out the day after and tell yourself “yeah, this is pretty good, I’d like to come back to it tomorrow”. Then, you do but you also come back to it the day after and then the day after that and, finally, twice in one day and you know you’re hooked. This is what happened to me with Dawnwalker’s The Unknowing which is very funny, considering that I’ve known about the band for a long time now have premiered multiple tracks from them in the past. Maybe it’s because of the mercurial nature of the project, with its flowing members and approaches. Or maybe it’s because they’ve never taken quite this approach on previous releases and I wasn’t expecting them to channel one of my favorite underrated sub-genres of all time.
There’s an aside here about this sub-genre which you will forgive me, I hope. You see, some time in the 2000’s, progressive metal and rock decided to go in a very distinct direction, namely the one we know best today. Heavier, more technical, and more flamboyant, this progressive music definitely channeled a big part of the influences that originally made the genre tick but decided to let go of its darker counterpart. Think about the difference between Falling Into Infinity and Scenes From a Memory; that is the quintessential leap for me, from somber, melancholic, and emotive progressive rock and metal (with all its imperfections and flaws) and to the expressive, larger than life, progressive metal opera. To be clear, I love both types but I also lament the disappearance of “the minor” from progressive music, the more subtle and shadowy work.
Of course, it’s not all gone and those vestiges of the darker, more intimate version of progressive music is what Dawnkwalker are channeling on The Unknowing, perhaps citing comparisons to acts like The Pineapple Thief, the mid-era works of Porcupine Tree, and the latter works of Anathema. Regardless of comparisons, The Unknowing is a subtle, quiet, and deep-running album that will catch you off guard if you let it. For example, it might take you a few listens but the entire album is riddled with alchemical and occultic references. Indeed, they make up the thematic impetus of the album, the story and setting from which it draws and which it describes.
There’s more, a lot more, like little snippets of leitmotifs hiding in the corners of compositions, vocal layers that hold some downright enchanting harmonies, and an overall air of mystery, “minority”, and the hidden world of musical and magical expression which the album gestures towards. God, it’s been so long since I’ve felt this passionate about an album (in my terms, that is, since it was probably earlier this year) and I feel like there is so much more for me to discover on The Unknowing. If any of the above sounds appealing to you, please check out this release - it is truly unique and deserves celebration, both in its own right and in the different approach to progressive music which it preserves and represents.
-EK
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja
Finnish psychedelic black metal weirdos Oranssi Pazuzu are one of the few entities in the extreme music sphere that feel genuinely unpredictable. As they’ve progressed through their bizarre and stellar career, each new offering seems to present its own unique spin on the band’s formula, handing out left turns like they’re racing at Daytona. The unexpected has become the norm with Oranssi Pazuzu, and their sixth full-length record presents their sharpest and most thoroughly engaging deviation to date. Muuntautuja is different in all the right ways, further cementing the band’s weirdo legacy and presenting listeners with one of the creepiest and most compelling blackened releases of the year.
While “black metal” continues to be the umbrella genre classification to house Oranssi Pazuzu in, Muuntautuja presents by far their most creative experimentation with those formulas. The vocals are still thoroughly wretched, and the guitars bounce and chug with a distinct blackened glee, but those elements feel more like peripheral threads of a rich sonic tapestry than foundational pieces this time around. The “psychedelic” components of the band’s sound are ramped up to 11 on Muuntautuja, along with a hinted at but heretofore under-explored electronic element that makes these tracks stick out like a sore thumb when viewed in the prism of Oranssi Pazuzu’s overall catalog. This may strike fear into longtime fans like myself, but trust me. If you’ve trusted them up until now, this record will do little to break your faith.
Opener “Bioalkemisti” presents the band’s new sonic template admirably, throwing out some traditional harsh vocals, propulsive kit work, and textbook jangly guitars. While the black metal undercurrent persists, it feels particularly muted compared to the obvious krautrock influence present here. There’s a punky aesthetic and energy to the performances here, with electronic elements and open drumming bringing the track to sonic spaces that emphasize the above over blackened daggers. This shift in tone and focus becomes most stark during the album’s title track, which plays like the soundtrack to a primordial insect orgy. It’s sludgy, slurpy, sensual filth that is one of the most compelling and wildly creepy tracks the band has ever produced, and serves as a definitive bridge between sounds. Kicking off with pure Massive Attack worship and evolving into utterly unhinged progressive metal lunacy, this cut represents everything Oranssi Pazuzu are trying to accomplish in one explosive statement… and it works. Brilliantly.
The album as a whole is chock full of borderline terrifying and darkly sensual delights with nary a dud in sight, culminating in a unique closing sequence that may divide listeners but feels perfectly placed when viewed in context of the rest of the record. Which is a statement that can probably be extrapolated to the rest of Muuntautuja. It’s a sharp turn for a band known for them, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve loved every Oranssi Pazuzu on its own merit since the first insane notes of Muukalainen Puuhu graced my ears, and Muuntautuja presents another masterful stroke of extreme artistry that I cannot get enough of. One of the band’s boldest offerings, and on first blush one that I thoroughly believe will stand the test of time and serve as a highlight in their already storied discography. Incredible stuff.
-Jonathan Adams
Fórn - Repercussions of Self
No matter what hellscape emerges, there always seems to be a new layer of darkness. But in the case of funeral doom/sludge mad scientists Fórn, the darker depths are a welcoming home. Since their start in 2013, the band has built an ominous legacy grounded in tracks heavy enough to warrant their own gravitational pull. Yet Fórn has also proven to be a restless beast, shedding their skin with every album to further expand the definition of doom and sludge. With Repercussions of Self, they have once again transformed.
Building on the atmospheric sludge sound of their 2018 full-length, Repercussions of Self embraces industrial and electronic influences with experimental zeal. The core of Fórn’s sound – funeral doom epics – are still the same, but mutated into even heavier songs with a greater emotional palette. If funeral doom delivers the final rites in a haunted cathedral, Fórn surveys the carnage after a serial killer rampages through a 1980s nightclub.
A saturated neon nightmare comes to life with glacial riffs intensified by synths and industrial grit, adding cinematic ambiance to Fórn’s signature death marches. Ancient rituals are recast in a frightening glow, driven to the edge of madness by the addition of vocalist Lane Shii Otayonii, whose haunting delivery opens a whole new world of nightmares. Fórn’s ferocious appetite for experimentation reveals new mutations across the whole of Repercussions of Self, manifesting in funereal hymns accented by whispering atmospheric noise that just manages to tug at the ear when you press play. It’s not quite enough to make you question reality, but it’s certainly disquieting. Anchored by catastrophically heavy riffs, you venture onward.
The morose grandeur of “Soul Shadow” showcases Fórn’s mastery of their roots, delivering soaring guitars and stately rhythms that are quintessential funeral doom. But the haze beckons at the edge of your mind, a sense that all is not what it seems. Delicate vocals echo across the soundscape, but you can’t tell if they’re a cry for help…or a warning to save yourself. The insanity deepens with “Hela’s Choir,” which treads a fine line between experimental noise and song. The growing haze of noise, synths, plus dueling ethereal and growling vocals creates a disorienting web around the charged emotional core of doom and sludge. Utterly unique and disturbingly spellbinding, Fórn have proven that darker turns aren’t always for the worse.
-Bridget Hughes
Gaerea - Coma
With impressive consistency over their four releases across the past six years, the enigmatic masked Portuguese black metal group Gaerea are rapidly becoming one of the most important names in the genre. Showing a gradual evolution in sound and prowess, their latest Coma is a triumphant and empowering force to be reckoned with, while still being relatively accessible as far as the genre goes. Beyond being black metal at its core, there’s an array of influences at play with post-metal being most prominent, but also groove metal, prog, shoegaze and even metalcore. Take the opening of the title track “Coma”. For better or worse this just feels very “modern metal”. Similar to the sadly now defunct Numenorean, there’s plenty of Gojira influence, as heavy progressive-groove laden riffs interplay with typical black metal riffing throughout. Eventually the “post-black metal” parts take prominence, but their willingness to lean into the “post” moniker of that, whoever you want to interpret that descriptor, elevates Coma into something that both transcends any strict confines of genre labels, into (elitists be damned) a black metal album for everyone.
Musically, a benefit of this more approachable take at the genre is that this becomes quite a dynamic sound. There’s frequent shifts between stampeding blastbeats and tremolo riffs, mid-tempo grooves, and soaring melodies. There’s an airy, floatiness brought out by the finely tuned production that doesn’t sacrifice heaviness when it needs it. It’s not quite at the level of most blackgaze, but not far removed from some epic black metal bands like Sojourner, or the atmospheric melodeath of Countless Skies. Even the vocals aren’t your typical black metal shriek, operating largely in a mid-range false chord. Yes, everything mentioned above could indeed be alienating to old-school black metal fans, who will probably prefer the likes of the latest Paysage D'Hiver album. Yet, it doesn't feel crazy to think that Gaerea could be growing into one of the most influential bands active in the genre. And maybe the best part is they're doing it all without resorting to a heavy use of symphonics.
Circling back to the terms triumphant and empowering used earlier, it frequently nails that cliche of metal making you feel like you can take on the world, but does so without sacrificing emotional depth and catharsis. Muffled spoken words and repeating, reverberating clean riffs ease you in with a sense of wintery melancholy akin to an Agalloch or Insomnium. It’s gloomy, and mysterious, then suddenly that riff turns distorted. As the drums kick in and the guitars swell like a climactic horn signal, you want to brandish your weapon and charge into the misty abyss of the album’s atmosphere and fight god himself. Beyond the genre fusions and tight production and some really technically impressive drumming that has not been mentioned enough, it’s these moments from Gaerea that keep you coming back.
Catch Gaerea on tour later this month in North America opening for Zeal & Ardor, as they continue their trend of having heavier masked openers, and pick up Coma, out now on Season of Mist.
-Trent Bos
Further Listening
Gigan - Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus
I’ve been eagerly anticipating a new Gigan record, so when I heard another salvo of sci-fi skronk was on its way to our ears in 2024 I was beyond amped. A band that has yet to let me down, expectations for their fifth full-length were high. But not high enough, apparently. Because this thing vaulted over my wildest hopes in belligerent, ecstatic fashion, and I can’t get enough.
This is Gigan’s most ambitious, frenzied, intricate, and technically astounding record by a wide margin. It’s also their absolute best, and the lack of buzz this band gets is criminal. If you enjoy technical/progressive death metal, listen to Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus immediately. Please. For the love of god.
-JA
The Armed - Everlasting Gaze
Everlasting Gaze is the latest EP from the mysterious Detroit noise-rock collective known as The Armed, and no, contrary to the belief of some confused iTunes reviewer, this has nothing to do with the Smashing Pumpkins song of the same title. An addendum of sorts to their past two albums, the EP contains three new original songs, and 3 remixes of the single “Sport of Form” off their last album, by the likes of Idles, Model/Actriz, and Water From Your Eyes. As someone who found 2023’s Perfect Saviors lean into radio friendly indie rock a bit of a step down from the one-of-a-kind ULTRAPOP, the new songs here feel like a course correction and are genuinely among the best tracks they’ve ever released. Eclectic as fuck, and teeming with sweaty, raw energy.
-TB
Frozen Crown - War Hearts
What a combination of albums I’ve chosen this time; from minor, subtle progressive rock to over the top, no holds barred power metal. Frozen Crown has three guitar players. They all play very, very fast. The vocals will seize your heart and squeeze. What more do you need to know?
-EK
Isaurian - The Pulsing Rush
Lush yet crushing, Brazilian doomgaze collective Isaurian capture the bittersweet balance of love and death with The Pulsing Rush. Orchestral songwriting delivered by this powerful quintet evokes the feeling of laughter with tears rolling down your face with delicate doom wrapped in the comforting haze post-metal and shoegaze. It’s the perfect soundtrack to finding joy in sadness, strength in community, and letting your emotions wash over you.
-BH
Sugar Horse - The Grand Scheme of Things
My formerly Roman Catholic self hasn’t set foot in a church in well over a decade (sorry Grandma), but listening to Sugar Horse feels pretty damn close. The Grand Scheme of Things is alternately, and sometimes simultaneously, harsh and ethereal, metallic yet gazy. Like the spiritual journey of religious ceremony, Sugar Horse forces us to confront sadness and brutality before being swept away in a triumphant tide. Undeniably evocative and engrossing, The Grand Scheme of Things must be heard to be believed.
-BH
Elephant Tree & Lowrider – The Long Forever (stoner prog)
Entheos – An End To Everything (tech-death/core)
Fit For an Autopsy – The Nothing That Is (progressive/melodic deathcore)
Schammasch – The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean (progressive black metal)
Sallow Moth – Vial (brutal death metal, progressive deathgrind)
Vokonis – Transitions (progressive doom/stoner-metal)
The Armed – Everlasting Gaze (hyper-punk, indie rock)
Carnosus – Wormtales (progressive death metal, melodeath)
Five The Hierophant – Apeiron (progressive sax-doom)
Gorebringer – Condemned to Suffer (blackish death metal, melodeath)
Immortal Bird – Sin Querencia (progressive/blackened sludge-death)
Oryx – Primordial Sky (sludgy death-doom)
Chat Pile – Cool World (industrial noise-core, alt-sudge)
Envy – Eunoia (post-rock/hardcore)
Kanaan & Aevestaden – Langt, Langt Vekk (folk prog)
Undeath – More Insane (death metal)
Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere (progressive death metal)
Cosmic Putrefaction – Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains (brutal prog-death)
Could Seed – The Drop Crisis (post rock)
Lowen – Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran (doomy prog-metal)