SH*T THAT COMES OUT TODAY: MARCH 6, 2012
Welcome to Metal March, cherished MetalSucks readers! It’s a sweet time for us, as parking restrictions are relaxed, winter loosens its deathgrip on our sanity, and we shrug off our layers of oppressive clothing. That means our rage instead goes more into productive, liberating acts like bedroom moshing and driver-seat headbanging, air guitars in our showers and Ihsahn-roars into our toothbrushes.
So check out March’s first hard and heavy releases for your face! (And then get caught up on last week’s Oprah-load of new stuff here!)
Every Time I Die
Ex Lives (Epitaph)
On a playlist with: Converge, Maylene & The Sons of Disaster, Atreyu
Listen Ex Lives full stream (here)
Every Time I Die are a fun group of guys: They have a wild live show, amusing song titles, and a fun vibe in everything they do. So I just wish I could get into the music. ETID has always put out bland, phoned-in metalcore that tries to impress, but always falls flat. The band is on their sixth album now, but tracks like “Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space” just seem repetitive and uninspired.
***
Hail Spirit Noir
Pneuma (Code 666)
On a playlist with: Nachtmystium, Rosetta, The Devil’s Blood
Listen “Mountain Of Horror” (here)
Greek duo Hail Spirit Noir brilliantly integrates progressive rock organs, strings, and guitar tone and melodies reminiscent of post-rock. On Pneuma, their debut, vocals effortlessly move from Darkthrone-esque roar to clean singing, and the music is interesting throughout. It demands an attentive listen to really understand it. Mixed by Rotting Christ’s Dim Douvras and mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Soilwork, Devin Townsend Project, Amon Amarth).
***
Hellsaw
Trist (Napalm)
On a playlist with: Ihsahn, Agalloch, Cobalt
Listen “The Devil Is Calling My Name” (here)
It seems the melding of black metal and post-rock is becoming more popular, with more artists matching elements of each to create exciting new music. Austria’s Hellsaw combines the brutal vocal rasp of black metal to melodic, mid-paced squall not unlike Pelican, but with a measure of darkness. This fourth full-length continues Hellsaw’s evolution from standard black metal begun on 2009’s Cold.
***
Locrian & Mamiffer
Bless Them That Curse You (Profound Lore)
On a playlist with: Pelican, Earth, Isis
Listen “In Fulminic Blaze” (here)
Bless Them That Curse You is a great collaboration by specialists in soundscapes and ambiance: Chicago’s Locrian and Isis frontman Aaron Turner’s Mamiffer. Don’t listen for riffs or any typical musical standbys here, just groggy, spacious melodies. “In Fulminic Blaze” contains acoustic guitars and piano for most of the track before turning into an electrified jam. The music is more dramatic in its changes, and the whole thing plays off like a great horror movie soundtrack.
***
Xandria
Neverworld’s End (Napalm)
On a playlist with: Nightwish, Theatre of Tragedy, Lacuna Coil
Listen “Valentine” (here)
Symphonic metallers Xandria are kind of a third-rate Nightwish. Not terrible, just not terribly good. To be fair, this is my first listen of the band, but “Valentine” just sounds really simple for this kind of music. This is the German band’s fifth album.
***
MORE SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
Ceremony – Zoo (Matador)
Diabolus In Musica – The Wanderer (Napalm)
The Firstborn – Lions Among Men (Rastilho)
Heidevolk – Batavi (Napalm)
Megalith – Risen From The Grave (Rockadrome)
Pharoah – Bury The Light (Cruz del Sur)
The Sacrificed – 3 (Divine Metal/Roxx)
Seas Will Rise – Disease Is Our Refrain (Man In Decline/Anxiety Machine)
-VV
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Spotify | RSS | Subscribe to The MetalSucks Podcast!
