I’m on a roll with recommending new tech death this week, what with a rapidfire review for new EPs from Sutrah and Svengahli and now a full stream of the excellent debut from Aronious. As you’ll hear for yourself below, Perspicacity (available Friday, March 13, via The Artisan Era) is…
There’s a type of victory in sports called a “wire-to-wire” win, where one team holds the lead throughout the entire game. Instead of both teams tying and trading leads multiple times or one side staging an epic comeback, the winner dominates the match from start to finish and quells any…
Glasgow’s Godeater have been on my radar for a handful of years, with their tight as a gnat’s arse live shows and widdly, shreddy tech-death only impressing more and more with every viewing. Now, in 2019 – the year of our dark lord Seitan – the eco-conscious “social justice keyboard…
It seems as if the dubiously titled nu-prog has been slowing down over the past two to three years, at least when compared to the onslaught from the genre that we experienced in 2014-2016. However, the collective imagination around the sound still seems to be there. Something about the unabashed…
I walked into Moe’s Original BBQ just before 6. The show didn’t start until 8, but bands were scattered throughout the restaurant and music venue, checking the soundboard during mic checks and setting up merch tables. I had arranged a 6 PM interview with Conjurer through their PR guy but…
Major lineup changes, particularly from the replacement of a member fundamental to the band’s sound like a founding vocalist, can cause a clear divide in not only a band’s fanbase, but the narrative of the band’s discography into distinct eras. Bay Area progressive death metal act Fallujah have just entered their own new era of music following the departure of vocalist and keyboard player Alex Hoffman in 2017.
It’s mildly surprising that not a lot of bands have tried to recreate the sound of 2008-2011 era progressive metalcore, also known as “Sumeriancore” for the label that came to define the sound. Sure, many have iterated on the sound and developed their own on top, but there haven’t been a lot of proper throwbacks. It seems oddly fitting for Aenimus to be the band to do it, as their sophomore album Dreamcatcher is their first since 2013. Not only does Dreamcatcher bring the beat of the genre back to life, it also exudes six years’ worth of creativity as well, and is a very satisfying return to a genre that’s missed sorely by many.
Four years ago, I started to keep a complete list of every band I saw. Three years ago, I began kicking myself for not starting that childishly simple task sooner. Never mind. At least I can tell you exactly what I got up to this year – with one important caveat. A…
Heavy Pod Is Heavy Cast!
A bunch of industry news this week! Spotify uniting with Distrokid, revenue shares of services, and ranting about monopolies versus fragmentation. Then some bummer news – Oli from All That Remains passed away, the Ghost members lost their lawsuit, and The Faceless are embarking on a 10th anniversary tour for Planetary Duality. Then some new music! Babymetal, Soilwork, Fractal Cypher, and Beyond Creation. Then cool people time! I gush about The Return of the Obra Dinn, and Eden gushes about Maniac. Enjoy!
For many, loss of old-style Opeth is one of the great tragedies of modern metal. Though entirely justifiable, the transition of one of the genre’s most outstanding progressive voices into ’70s prog rock pastiche remains widely mourned, a full seven years since its occurrence. Regardless of whatever promises are made…
