I shouldn't love Beach House as much as I do. I was introduced to this duo back in 2015, when I first started to branch out of music that wasn't just guitars and screaming (I really love guitars and screaming, though). Bloom and Depression Cherry remain my favorite Beach House albums. These albums remind me, for no apparent reason of time spent on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland, or more broadly, of summer in general. It's particularly odd because I don't think I've ever listened to a Beach House album repeatedly during summertime, nor have I ever listened to Beach House while in Ocean City. Strange how the mind works sometimes.
I like "Lemon Glow" a little too much. It's a more forward, potent dream pop song with a heavy dose of eerie synths and pleasant, albeit also eerie vocals of Victoria Legrand. It's not pop in the traditional sense by any means; if you think it is even remotely comparable to Katy Perry, please give it a listen. I think its one of my favorite songs from Beach House, as it is Beach House doing Beach House best. It almost reminds me of some songs off of Ulver's last album The Assassination of Julius Caesar, particularly "Nemoralia" and "Transverberation". The synths sounds like they could have been played on the same keyboard, and the drums near the end of the song remind me greatly of Ulver, to the point that I legitimately thought that "So Falls the World" was about to play.
This is my first song review, so my scoring cannot be compared to my album reviews, seeing as how an album is an entirely different medium than a song. I'm going to give this song a 9.0/10and am really looking forward to the coming Beach House album.
Around the time that I started compiling album of the year lists and realizing that some music is much worse than other music, I discovered the power of the upcoming releases section on the Metal Archives. The Metal Archives, or Encyclopaedia Metallum, has since become one of my favorite tools in discovering music, especially in many obscure black metal bands from far away places.
I discovered Arson's release not through MA, but rather through Loudwire's release chart, which I occasionally visit. I abhor Loudwire and cringe nearly every time I visit the site, but their release list is undeniably useful. This blend of black metal and post-metal that Harakiri for the Sky produces is certainly popular in recent times, although this band relies much less on shoegaze and more on true post-metal influences than their counterparts. I have listened to Harakiri for the Sky on a few occasions before I discovered this album and really have always loved what I have heard. I obsessed over Aokigahara back in 2016, before III:Trauma was released, and I played that album on repeat for about two weeks nonstop. I never listened to III:Trauma when it was released, and haven't listened to Harakiri for the Sky since. I guess when you have access to so many bands through the Internet, you lose some along the way.
I obviously hadn't lost them forever, with good results. Arson instilled an excitement in me that I haven't experience when listening to an album in a long time (about 2 months, truthfully). Diving into the first track, "Fire, Walk with Me", this band shows clear development from Aokigahara, with a much more modern production sound and excellent mixing. Nothing feels off with the production, no one instrument stands out over another, and all of the instruments move as one sound. That should be expected, as all of the instruments are played by one person, known as M.S. The formula that is found throughout the album is emotional, crisp overdriven rhythm guitars accompanied by more clean lead melodies. This is found on nearly every song on the album, which is not necessarily a negative factor. This formula, along with the general atmosphere of the album, remind me a lot of Agalloch, a band I have yet to mention on this site but will certainly arise from time to time as a result of their massive influence on music of this type. Arson, much like Agalloch or Woods of Ypres, relies heavily on the emotional side of their music, in guitar tone, vocals, and overall tempo, but this unfortunately works against Harakiri for the Sky.
This album is monotonous. It drew me in so well, but I can't help but be disappointed with 75 minutes of the same sound. I think that the album has enough variance to keep you interested, but I can't say that I was nearly as blown away on "Stillborn" as I was on "The Graves We've Dug". The closing track, "Manifesto", does change the sound up with a clean intro and clean female vocals, and brings me back to the inventiveness of the start of the album. So, this album does have some filler tracks. There are many differences between songs, but the strongest track on the album is "Tomb Omnia", which could stand up to any of their past work.
The intro to "Stillborn" reminds a great deal of "Keeper of the Ledger" off of Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light. If you have not figured it out yet, Woods of Ypres is one of the most influential bands in terms of my musical growth, so this definitely hits me the wrong way. I don't think this was intentional, nor do I think that Harakiri for the Sky ripped off Woods, but the similarity is worth noting.
As stated before, the production on this album is great, but I think it is a little too well done, a little too clean. A more rough production suits this genre of music, and I'm not trying to be "kvlt" by saying that. A more rough production allows for this emotion to come through in a more extreme manner and not sound rounded off, but more like a raw expression. If this album had the production of Aokigahara, I would like it much better (apart from the fact that the songwriting is not nearly as strong). The vocals are produced well, as in they are not too clear to not have the sort of melancholy effect that is desired, but do stand out. They definitely drift more towards black metal-style vocals rather than the hardcore sounding screams of the Aokigahara days, but this is neither a plus or a minus for this album. The album has qualities in its production that also remind me of the past two Insomnium albums, and establish a similar atmosphere. I think that this is a good album by a great band, and if I had not heard any of their past material, I would be much more in love with this album. I feel bad for relying so heavily on comparisons to their previous work, but even if I had not heard of this band prior to this release, I would be comparing it to the work of others anyways.
This album would certainly hold on its own, with no comparisons, to be clear. I'm going to give it a solid 7.1/10. I think that upon further evaluation, this may change, but after listening to it twice, that's where I stand.
Sometimes there are albums that really stand out to me that I cannot relate to in the slightest. Some albums have such a profound impact on me but I cannot relate to the contents of the album at all. A spectacular example of this is A Crow Looked at Me by Mount Eerie, perhaps one of the most talked-about albums of 2017 in the world of music review. The entire premise of this album, which can barely be described as music by traditional terms, was the death of Phil Elverum's wife. A hard-hitting topic for sure, but the details that Phil shared were so specific and precise that it almost made me feel as if I were there. I couldn't include the album on my list because I couldn't really classify it as entertainment.
Alela Diane's Cusp produces a similar effect on me, in that I cannot relate to motherhood in the slightest.
To be honest, I stumbled upon this album by pure luck, by simply looking at a new release list and noticing the interesting album cover. Cusp is notably outside my comfort zone. In terms of lyrical content, especially. I also don't normally listen to anything within the singer-songwriter genre (I would assume that is where this falls), but something about this album really stuck out to me.
I really appreciate the production on this album. It's produced almost like an instrumental interlude on a modern metal album. It's much more direct than most of its counterparts, which are quiet in all the wrong places. I really love all of the piano melodies and doubled over vocal tracks, which really stick out on "Albatross", "Buoyant" and "Ether & Wood".
This album is primarily piano and vocals, both performed by Alela Diane, and thus the sound does become repetitive. If that sort of sound is up your alley, then go for it. If not, you probably shouldn't listen to this album.
I also think that the album starts out a lot stronger than it ends. "Albatross" and "Émigré" are certainly my favorite songs on the album, with the use of strings being impeccable and unique, as compared to the almost country-sounding, straightforward songs that close the album, "Ether & Wood" being a notable example of a slight twang.
I really liked Alela Diane's lyrics. Her use of the English language is pleasant, something I think is essential in this genre of music. Considering how stripped down these tracks are, the lyrics have massive influence when listening to this album (as opposed to something like Anaal Nathrakh, where lyrics are inconsequential).
I would definitely recommend listening to this album because of its relative simplicity and pleasant sound. I'm going to give it a 6.5/10. I hope you all didn't mind the short review of an odd album. I really wish this album had more replay value, but I really feel as if I'm never going to listen to it outside of the couple times I did to review it, and outside of the standout songs mentioned above. Oh well.
Some metal artists are easily associated with one genre. Cannibal Corpse plays death metal. Cannibal Corpse has always played death metal, and one can hope they always will (I don't see Corpsegrinder releasing power metal anytime soon). Municipal Waste writes some terrible form of thrash, and probably always will. I don't see Dark Funeral releasing any djent in their career, just as I really can't see Dream Theater putting out any deathcore.
Some groups are not easily defined by one single subgenre, however. These groups write music that may evolve and expand boundaries past any sort of label. Another case is that of a complete change in genre, such as when Paradise Lost released some new wave albums, or when Ulver went from black metal to synthpop. Some bands may fuse genres and release some albums in one style and others in a fusion of that style and another. For instance Woods of Ypres' sound changed and developed over time and included black metal, doom, and folk. Burzum's Filosofem consisted of black metal, ambient, and a unique combination of the two.
Some groups can't be classified under any sort of subgenre title. Ulver is a notable example of this, as is Primus. Anaal Nathrakh are certainly the most prominent band that come to mind in regards to this category, fusing black metal, industrial metal, and grindcore to make something entirely new and unique.
I would say that Tribulation are a good mix of traditional heavy metal, black metal, gothic metal (in an Edgar Allan Poe sort of way, not in a Type O Negative sense), and psychedelic rock, with death metal influences being incredibly strong in their early work. Some even accused Tribulation of being an Entombed clone at the time of their emergence. Down Below seamlessly incorporates a great deal of different sounds in its production. Upon first listening to this album, I was strongly reminded of both Nachtmystium and Dark Tranquility. Johannes Andersson's vocals remind me strongly of both of these bands (particularly of Mikael Stanne's harsh vocals on Atoma and Blake Judd's vocals on The World We Left Behind or Assassins: Black Meddle, Part I). The instrumental side of the album is reminiscent of Nachtmystium as well, featuring slow black metal riffage with psychedelic influences. The use of synths, when present, also reminds me very much of Atoma, but these are perhaps more effectively used here on Down Below.
Noting that these similarities by no means implies that Tribulation stole from these bands in any way, as this album sounds absolutely like a piece of Tribulation's work. This album is a clear progression from 2015's The Children of the Night, an excellent album I discovered unfortunately long after I had put out my album of the year list for that year.
If one were to compare Down Below to Tribulation's previous album, one would find a much more polished album that is much more linear in its progression. Down Below's tracks do not work as well as single songs as they do a much greater part of the album as a whole, and for this reason I will spend more time speaking on the overall impressions of the album rather than breaking it down into a track-by-track review like that of my two previous reviews.
Down Below has an excellent structure with no filler or notable down points. The entire album works effectively as one cohesive piece of music, where one could pick out nearly any track from the album and receive the same quality as any other song. The bleak, melancholy atmosphere prevalent throughout the album is established through vocals with hints of reverb and delay, as well as gloomy guitar melodies. The guitar tone on this album is excellent, something you can tell that Adam Zaars and Jonathan Hultén have worked on since the early days of Tribulation. The guitars are distorted much more like that of a traditional heavy metal band than that of an extreme metal group, giving this album a very distinctive sound. This traditional distortion, along with mid-tempo riffs lead to the further development of the melancholy atmosphere present on Down Below. The synths are wispy and airy, which is absolutely crucial to this atmosphere of this album. The songwriting and structure of individual tracks is exceptional, and the lyrical content is rather fitting for the album. It must be noted that this content is much more mature than that of Tribulation's early work, which featured song titles such as "Seduced by the Smell of Flesh" and "Zombie Holocaust", both of which sound like song titles from my high school grindcore band. Of course, this just reiterates Tribulation's growth overtime, which has occurred not only lyrically but musically as well. The guitar melodies and use of synthesizers really make this album stand out in recent releases.The section from about the three minute mark to about the three minute and fifty second mark in "Subterranea" displays this sort of sound well (this song will be linked below, as will the lead single for the album, "The Lament"). The drums are not nearly as high in the mix as in releases before The Children of the Night, but they still sound great. New drummer Oscar Leander does not disappoint.
I think that what Down Below offers most, however, is the opportunity for recognition with a wider metal audience. I know that in the progression of my musical taste, discovering bands which combine elements from multiple genres may open a person up to these influences. Woods of Ypres made my appreciation for both doom and black metal grow, Behemoth made me love death metal and black metal, and Nachtmystium made me greater appreciate psychedelic rock. Down Below will likely have a similar effect on those who stumble upon this record. I wish I had the opportunity to discover extreme metal through this album.
I think Down Below deserves an 8.4/10, with my only complaints being relevant to the volume of the drums in the mix and the slight monotony of sound throughout the album. I believe that this album will further cement Tribulation's place as one of the most unique band to become popular in the 2010's, along with Pallbearer and Deafheaven, to name a few.
Watain is a Swedish black metal band formed in 1998, famous for their aggressive black metal sound and elaborate stage shows. Trident Wolf Eclipse is their first album in five years, the last being The Wild Hunt, released in 2013. This album saw more progressive influences and even featured clean vocals.
I have a long history with Watain. I first discovered Watain in late 2012, at a time in my life where all I listened to was Slipknot and Rammstein. I did not fall in love instantly, however, and to be frank, I really couldn't stand Black Metal. I thought the genre was rather pointless, an opinion that would be changed by Behemoth, Burzum, Emperor, Borknagar, and Nachtmystium two years later.
I really gave Watain a fair chance in 2015, when I fell in love with both their 2003 album Casus Luciferi and the more modern Lawless Darkness.
Trident Wolf Eclipse starts off with the pummeling "Nuclear Alchemy," a great traditional black metal track. Raw, in your face, and truly one of the most accessible tracks on the album. "Nuclear Alchemy" sets the tone for the album by being straightforward and simple.
Next up is "Sacred Damnation", one of my favorite tracks on this album. The drumming on this track is impeccable, as is the guitar work. The synths near the end add another layer of atmosphere to this already dense song, and are much appreciated.
"Teufelsreich" is one of the slower tracks on the album and bears a small resemblance to the work of Dissection. Following this is "Furor Diabolicus", which contains an excellent guitar solo by Pelle Forsberg and one of my favorite riffs on the album. It's fast, in your face, evil, and makes me want to drive really fast. Remind me to never listen to this song while driving.
"A Throne Below," the fifth track on this album, starts out as a traditional black metal song but includes elements of classical music near the close. As the song reaches an end, the synths grow in volume and the guitars ever so slightly quieter, leading this to be one of the most dynamic pieces on the album.
"Ultra (Pandemonic)" is unfortunately one of the most bland songs on the album, featuring a rather uninspired black metal riff and an underwhelming solo. This is certainly the weakest song on the album, but is by no means a weak song in general. It simply just leaves more to be desired, and lacks the dynamics that are found on "Sacred Damnation" and "A Throne Below." It also features some sort of strange evil laughing in its last thirty seconds that takes away from the maturity of the album. It's campy and sort of unnecessary for a band that has entered its twentieth year of existence.
"Towards the Sanctuary" features some of the best guitar work on the album and demonstrates structure like no other song on this album. This song is definitely the most forward thinking on the album. I think that the bass work and vocals, both performed by Erik Danielsson, reach their peak at this point in the album.
The final piece of the album, "The Fire of Power", is slow, gloomy, and evil. This features some of the best drum work on the album, definitely being the most diverse tracks in terms of drumming. The rest of the album is very blast beat heavy, which is always appreciated, but this track really lets Håkan Jonsson display his versatility behind the kit. "The Fire of Power" really starts to shine at about the half-way point, featuring a unique bridge at around the two minute mark. This track also does an effective job at bringing the album to an abrupt close, which is very fitting given the nature of the album.
Trident Wolf Eclipse is a great black metal record that is short and sweet. The dynamic range on this album is incredible in comparison to many other mainstream black metal releases, leading this album to sound spectacular. The vocal deliveries, guitar tone, and drumming really shine on this album. The production on this album is wonderful, handled by the only producer that Watain has ever worked with, Tore Stjerna. Stjerna has also worked with Funeral Mist and Tribulation (whose new album Down Below will be reviewed soon). Trident Wolf Eclipse does seem to lack variation, however, and is unfortunately predictable at times. I will forgive this predictability because of the excellent production and strong songwriting throughout this record, in both lyrics and music.
I'm looking forward to seeing where Watain will go after this album. I would love to see more experimentation, as heard in The Wild Hunt, but I honestly have no idea where Watain will go after this. I am sure, however, that it will be powerful. I'm giving this album a 7.0/10, and will be continuing to listen to it whenever I have the desire to hear a barrage of tremolo picking and blast beats.
No Cross No Crown marks Corrosion of Conformity's first album with rhythm guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan since 2005's In the Arms of God, which has led expectations for this album to be high. That being said, this is actually the first Corrosion of Conformity album I have actually listened to in its entirety, despite their massive presence in the metal community. I have heard plenty of songs and even watched many live festival performances from recent years, but have, for whatever reason, failed to listen to an album of theirs.
Being familiar with their sound, No Cross No Crown did not surprise me in the slightest. Thick, riff- heavy, Southern sludge metal with bluesy vocals. There are no frills, no attempts at trying to put themselves across as something they are not. No Cross No Crown serves as an efficient and welcome reunion album for the classic line up of Corrosion of Conformity. That being said, this album is by no means perfect and definitely has some noteworthy flaws.
The album begins with an instrumental intro - one of many - and leads into the single that was last released before the album, "The Luddite." "The Luddite" is a well-written song, but does not offer anything new from Corrosion of Conformity. "Cast the First Stone," the next song on the album, is packed full of energy, yet, like the previous track, leaves something to be desired.
The next track "No Cross" is yet another instrumental interlude, arguably the best of its kind on this album but completely unnecessary. To be frank, none of these interludes would be necessary if there were less material on the album, but this will be addressed shortly.
The next song, "Wolf Named Crow" is yet another single from the album and perhaps one of the strongest songs on the album. Featuring some of the most well written riffs on the album and one of its best solos, this song could be pit up against any of C.O.C.'s classics.
After two relatively forgettable tracks, the near ZZ Top homage "Little Man" and "Forgive Me"; and yet another interlude, another high point is found in the song "Nothing Left to Say." Mike Dean's bass tone and the heavy, punching guitar tones of both Pepper Keenan and Woody Weatherman really shine on this track, which features some of the softest moments on the album and some of the heaviest. Woody Weatherman's clean tones on the first half of the song are almost reminiscent of David Gilmour's solo tones on The Wall. After "Nothing Left to Say" is yet another interlude, followed by two relatively strong tracks "Old Disaster" and "E.L.M.", the latter of which follows the lead of many early doom metal releases.
The title track is undeniably one of the strangest on the album and arguably the most pointless (apart from the quartet of interludes). It features hushed vocals and clean guitars, and could be erased from existence with little consequence.
The album comes into its final stretch with one of the strongest and most unique tracks on the album with "A Quest to Believe (A Call to the Void)," which features my favorite guitar solo on the album, which also happens to be one of my favorite Weatherman solos to date. Starting at around the four minute and forty-five second mark, this solo is laced in reverb and is sure to get stuck in the heads of most listeners.
The final track on the album had me incredibly skeptical, that being a cover of Queen's "Son and Daughter," from their first album. Apart from the high pitched "I want you" found in this song, this sounds almost as much like any other C.O.C. song that it could be mistaken for an original. The band did an excellent job at rendering this song in their own style, even though the mere thought of Corrosion of Conformity covering Queen is bizarre. Although an excellent cover, this track does not bring any sort closure to the album and seems almost out of place as the closing track.
No Cross No Crown is a truly solid release with some great songs, namely "Nothing Left to Say" and "Wolf Named Crow", but it is incredibly cumbersome. Fifteen songs clocking in at almost an hour is a lot of material, especially considering the four throwaway interlude tracks scattered throughout the first two-thirds of the album. There are definitely some forgettable tracks on this album that bring the overall quality of the album down, as any filler material will do. Without these tracks and the interludes, this album would have been a much better release.
The album's production and mixing are very bass-heavy and powerful. At times, the album seems to have a slightly muddy mix, but these moments are few and far between.
It seems that in recent times, comeback albums take the role of letting musicians grow comfortable writing and recording material with the group, and thus do not offer much material that is new or different. This is found in Faith No More'sSol Invictus and At The Gates' At War With Reality, among others. No Cross No Crown finds itself in this category of "more of the same" comeback records, but this is not necessarily a negative point. There is potential for growth and for advancement, especially in the case of such an amazing group of talented musicians.
Overall I would give this album a 6.0/10, primarily due to the few average tracks and large quantity of interludes. If the album had removed the interludes along with "Little Man" and "Forgive Me", it would be rated higher.
Welcome to my music review blog, Auditory Overload. On this blog I will be reviewing albums new and old across a variety of genres. Expect to see a lot of underground hip-hop, metal, new wave, and indie. I will take any recommendations and/or suggestions on albums, EPs, or singles to review. If any content I post contains any inaccurate information about any artists mention, please let me know so it can be corrected swiftly.
Some information about myself: I am a college student with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Philosophy. I have been listening to music as long as I can remember and have kept album of the year lists since 2014. I have been analyzing music for some time and have been posting about music on my social media for years. Just now have I decided to start a blog to not only share all of my thoughts with the world, but also to keep my thoughts on albums organized for my own reference. I have been playing guitar since I was eight.
Here are some past album of the year lists of mine so you can get a glimpse at my taste in music over the years:
