Sh*t That Comes Out Today: January 21, 2022
All the deathcore reviews fit to print!
Battle Beast
Circus Of Doom (Nuclear Blast)
Know why I love European power metal bands? Zero irony. You sure wouldn’t find an American band calling their album Circus of Doom in 2022. You also wouldn’t find any with the juggling balls to go this unapologetically cheesy with their sound, bringing in all sorts of synth layering and big pop hooks. Thankfully, those additions mean that the album doesn’t get bogged down in arpeggios and doubletime drumming, allowing these Finnish acrobats to walk the tightrope successfully.
Boris
W (Sacred Bones)
I haven’t been doing this column that long but I think this is like the fifth or sixth Boris release I’ve covered? This one definitely falls into the “weird experimental shit” side of their sound. It’s intended as a companion piece to 2020’s No (NOW, I get it), the introspective yin to that record’s raging yang. Might as well enjoy this droning soundtrack as the pandemic drones on endlessly.
Comeback Kid
Heavy Steps (Nuclear Blast)
I once got my college radio station kicked off of Victory’s promo list because I didn’t add a Comeback Kid record to the rotation, and I don’t remember which one it was, but if it had been this good there never would have been a problem. 33 minutes of raging metalcore may not be everybody’s broken cup of tea. If it is, though, these Canadians deliver prime pit fodder.
Sleepwulf
Sunbeams Curl (Heavy Psych Sounds)
How do you feel about Black Sabbath, Pentagram, and Jethro Tull? These wicker men nail the pagan/occult doom sound perfectly. Frankly, if I’m going to listen to Satan-summoning music, much better this than black metal.
Sonata Arctica
Acoustic Adventures – Volume One (Atomic Fire)
Sonata Arctic have consistently been one of the leading Northern lights of the power metal movement, and this stripped-down collection proves why: when you take away all the guitar flash and keyboards, their campfire tales still hit you right in the feels. As great as the originals of “For the Sake of Revenge” and “As If the World Wasn’t Ending” work, the unplugged versions bring out the vulnerability beautifully.
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
40 Watt Sun – Perfect Light (Svart) Listen
Age Of Apocalypse – Grim Wisdom (Closed Casket) Listen
Druid Lord – Relics Of The Dead (Hells Headbangers) Listen
Hanging Garden – Neither Moth Nor Rust EP (Lifeforce) Listen
Kissin’ Dynamite – Not The End Of The Road (Napalm) Listen
SETYØURSAILS – Nightfall (Napalm) Listen
SOM – The Shape Of Everything (Pelagic) Listen
Tokyo Blade – Fury (Dissonance) Listen
