Louisiana Sadness - Swale
(https://louisianasadness.bandcamp.com/album/swale)
Louisiana Sadness (guess where they're from) play some of the fuzziest, murkiest doom around. It's droning, repetitive, and dark; the kind of music that requires full headphone immersion to even hear properly. Basically, it's Electric Wizard sinking slowing into the Louisiana bayou. "Southern Hatred" plods along like the soundtrack to an airboat zombie hunt, drowning the listener in waves of muddy riffs. Opener "Answer," on the other hand, feels stiff and mechanical, and the lack of vocals throughout the record emphasizes the music's repetitive quality—sometimes to the individual songs' detriment. But the interesting production and unique Louisiana feel make up for Swale's repetitive song structures (most of the time), and the riffs are thicker and heavier than swamp muck.
Recommended.
BRÆKKE - Indulgence
(https://braekke.bandcamp.com/album/indulgence)
If experimental or progressive metal has a fault, it's that it rarely feels like a sledgehammer to the face the way good death metal or thrash does. It's more likely to make you look bemused than bang your head, and that's fine, but it's always a pleasure to listen to a band that makes you do both.
Minnesota's BRÆKKE certainly induce both bemusement and whiplash: their hardcore roots come through as chugs and screams on aggressive tracks like "Iscariot" and "Indulgence," but never without progressive melodies and unexpected song structures. The album's extensive line-up of vocalists and guest musicians shines throughout: "The Dead Don't Speak" lumbers along forlornly like one of Giant Squid's doomier numbers, complete with female vocals and appropriately harrowing lyrics, while "Skin On Skin" ventures boldly into indie rock territory before morphing into a symphonic post-rock anthem. If Indulgence has a weakness, it's a lack of focus, but the band explores so many interesting sounds and ideas it's hard to fault them for it.
Highly Recommended.
Sunspell - Memento Mori
(https://sunspell.bandcamp.com/album/memento-mori)
Despite the Sunspell's anything-but-average origins (the project is one of Greenland's four active metal bands, according to the Metal Archives), its brand of atmospheric, post-Leviathan black metal doesn't score high on originality. Memento Mori hits all the usual notes for bedroom black metal: fuzzy guitar riffs, throaty and distorted screams, minimalist production, etc. It does work well occasionally. "Pale Angels" adds an ethereal pad and occasional breaks from the wall of guitar fuzz, and "Upon The Altar of Sacrifice" includes clean vocals and chanting—a welcome change from the otherwise forgettable screams. But in all other regards this project is painfully average.
Not Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment